


Hawaii Blue

by narae_loves_yeosang



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Ateez 60's au?, Bad boy Jongho, Good Boy Yeosang, Jongho is really gay, M/M, San loves him, Seonghwa is mean, Wooyoung is here for a good life not a long one, a think that's it, everyone shows up but the focus is JongSang, honestly they all are, kinda of, please give it a chance, woosan is very small, yeosang is trying his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:26:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 23,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22766971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narae_loves_yeosang/pseuds/narae_loves_yeosang
Summary: In witch Kang Yeosang had his perfect plans ruined by someone who was everything but perfectNot that he really mindsAn Ateez 60's au
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung
Comments: 14
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo hi 
> 
> This is my first work here, english is not my first language so forgive any mistakes and please give your thoughts in the comments 
> 
> Enjoy~~~

1.

"Mr. Newman, I don't know if I'm ideal for the task, I- ''

“Oh, no, no, Yeosang, don't be modest, boy. It's your last year here, I've known you for a long time, right? As vice president, your role is to integrate all students into the school, regardless of who they are. ” The man with the white beard and oval glasses continued his handsome speech, smiling as he handed the unwelcome paperwork to the young boy sitting at the large mahogany table. Kang Yeosang looked with shaky orbs at the director, and then at the messy papers squeezed in the man's wrinkled hands, swallowing hard in the process. “Don't be shy, get the paperwork, Yeosang. The Choi affair will be easy for someone as kind as you, huh? That is precisely why I chose you for this task. Those kids know you, nothing will happen. ” He insisted a little more, shaking that mess to make it more attractive.

Yeosang, with uncertain fingers, reached for the paperwork as if accepting cyanide, his Adam's apple rigid as he stared at the name written on the first sheet.

"Director, I really don't know them ... I don't know if this will work, so ..." He tried, looking at the man with a straight face, almost begging the man not to do that to him. "In three years here, I never spoke to any of them."

"Oh!" Mr Newman hit a single dry palm, looking delighted. “What a great opportunity to meet them, then! Think positive, ok? The faster you act, the faster it will all end. See you later, Yeosang! ” Implicitly, he suggested that the boy leave his office.

Yeosang got the message well, however. He nodded slowly, still feeling dizzy and skeptical, leaning on the table to get up from the cushioned chair, briefly saying goodbye to the man before leaving the administrative room.

He was completely lost.

Perhaps, one of Kang Yeosang's great problems was his inability to say no. He was unable to say no when his best friend, Park Seonghwa, invited him to join the Student Council. He couldn't deny it when he was offered a cigarette, and now he couldn't deny being part of that big mess.

It would surely end up destroying him one of these days.

*

"You will not believe what happened." The boy hurriedly entered the Council wing, sweat running down his desperate face, looking pleadingly at his best friend and current Council President, Seonghwa. The boy typed something on the typewriter, concentrated and very serious, his glasses resting on the tip of his nose. When the Park raised his eyebrows, inducing him to continue talking, Yeosang fell into one of the armchairs in the room with a discredited sigh, the paperwork still in his hands. "I am a dead man."

'' Tell me what happened, let's see how dead you are. ”

"Seonghwa, the director wants me to take care of Choi Jonghoi." Yeosang spilled out, sitting on the edge of the chair, blinking non-stop as he realized the situation. “He didn't make it clear, but he basically meant 'hey, here's one of the troublemakers. Please ask what's going on with his grades and fix this student, we don't want overcrowding in classrooms next year, thanks! ’.”

Seonghwa stopped writing, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, you are very dead." He concluded, returning to typing something apparently important. “If I'm not mistaken, he's the boy transferred last year, isn't he? I think I remember him, he had a serious face, he was a little scary. It didn't take long for him to get involved with one of the gangs of losers. But I don't know if he's the aggressive type, Yeosang. ” And then he sighed as if he had had enough of that particular gang, moving away from the machine to snap his fingers. "Anyway, I'm relieved to hear that you were involved in this, not me." He smiled malevolently, standing up to unscrew the paper from the water-green machine.

"Ah, Seonghwa ..." Yeosang slid across the chair, clearly tearful and limp, not wanting to exist anymore. "Please help me!"

“I even wanted to, but I can't. I have to talk to the people responsible for the posters, the prom is coming and we need to start preparations ... Hey, don't be so sad, Yeo. You are good with that, with talking to people. Even the most marginal ones tend to hear it well, right? Just be yourself, kind and friendly, and everything will be fine. Perhaps you will find it difficult to simply approach him, since he will be surrounded by the rest of the gang ... ”Seonghwa interrupted himself to laugh, coughing to get serious again. "Pardon. Because they are not in any danger, it's even funny to talk about them like that. Either way, everything will be fine. See you later!" He said goodbye by giving two friendly pats on the shoulder of his best friend, leaving the room with quick steps.

Yeosang took a deep breath, leaning his back against the comfortable chair, closing his eyes for a few seconds. All he wanted was to graduate peacefully, studying hard enough to enter his beloved and esteemed Stanford and having only fond memories of his high school. But, of course, life would be too good if it followed all his plans.

Council students came in and out of the room, carrying papers, folders and disgusted expressions, as if that first week was already a huge pain in the ass. Yeosang scratched the back of his head, thinking of some rational way to approach that gang of troublemakers without annoying them or perhaps offending them in some way? He did not know what to do!

It wasn't like they were untouchable or anything; they were really just lazy and relaxed, but they knew how to use their fists well. Yeosang had already studied in the same room as one of them, Kim Hongjoong, probably the leader of that ridiculous troop. He was kind of nice, sometimes wearing sunglasses in unnecessary situations, his expensive leather jacket always intact, muscles prominent under the dark material. Girls were attracted to him like bees were attracted to flowers, although he maintained the cool guy pose and never really made any moves (or, perhaps, he was just a closeted romantic ... Nah, very unlikely).

While discussing hypotheses and plans in his head, Yeosang was surprised to find Jung Wooyoung entering the large Council room, flushed and panting gently, as if he had run a little to get there. Yeosang then remembered something very important. He jumped up from his chair, choking a little on his words, a little desperate when looking at Wooyoung. 

"Park Seonghwa!" Jung shouted across the room, hands on his hips, looking a little irritated. “Where's that useless president? If he's sleeping under the table again, I swear that- ”

"Wooyoungie!" Yeosang did not let him finish, quickly approaching the boy. "Wooyoungie!" He exclaimed again, grabbing the poor boy by the shoulders, looking delighted to see him there. Jung blinked, a little hesitantly at that suspicious gesture. He raised an eyebrow as if asking what the hell was wrong with Jung that morning. "Ah, I'm glad you showed up!"

"Glad? If I'm here, I need help, so there's not much to be glad about it. But apparently, the president is not here to help me. Did he run away because I said I had to talk to him this morning? ” He mumbled the last part to himself, not finding that hypothesis so absurd, considering the type of person Seonghwa was.

“Having him run away is not impossible. Anyway, it is very good to see you. ” He sighed, pulling the boy's arm to guide him to one of the sofas. "Please sit. I need your help. In fact, if you help me, I can help you too! ”

"My help? Hm, I don't know if I can help you with anything, sorry…. ” Wooyoung seemed a little lost, after all Yeosang was not the type to get flustered about something. He was always calm and focused, handling things well. He walked away a little, a little suspiciously. "What happened?"

"You are San's friend, aren't you?" He went straight to the point, looking too excited.

Wooyoung was surprised by the question. He blinked a few times, confused, before opening his mouth to say something.

"Unfortunately."

"Ah, how nice to hear that." Yeosang murmured, placing a hand on his chest before sliding across the couch. He sighed, explaining exactly what had happened to him. “So, to sum up, I need to get closer somehow. I know San is from Jongho's group, so I think it would be a good thing for me to get closer like that. ”

"I understand now." Wooyoung concluded sincerely, stroking his chin, thinking about it. “But are you afraid to approach them or something? I mean, I know they have a reputation for being dangerous and rumors about how they stole some cars, but I can guarantee that they are ridiculously pathetic. ” Wooyoung didn't spare his words, looking too serious for anyone who wanted to play. "San sometimes gives me a ride, after all he is my neighbor, and although he has a frown, he has already cried on my shoulder because his little sister called him an idiot." He smiled then, maybe a little happy with the thought. “They are not worth worrying about, I can assure you. But if you still want me to help you out, I can do it. ”

"You are an angel." Yeosang exclaimed, completely relieved, smiling at that. "Thank you for real. Now, to return the favor, tell me what you need. ” He soon assumed his pose as vice president, resting his elbow on the upholstery of the sofa.

"Ah yes!" Wooyoung also settled down, perhaps remembering why he was there in the first place. “There are some idiots sabotaging the basketball team. They are stealing balls, sometimes blowing them, breaking baskets and even tearing uniforms. I don't know what they want with this, or who they are, but they are doing it. I need help, because our representative is a fucking banana and is afraid to report it, but I am not. We need help, and I don't mind getting beaten up for telling the Council what's going on. ”

Yeosang looked taken aback. His mouth opened wide, unable to believe those words. If something like that was happening on the school grounds, you should take urgent action. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and think logically what to do.

“Do you have any suspicions? Who can be responsible for this? ” He reinforced the idea, getting up to get a pen and paper to write down anything Wooyoung has to say. 

"I think they are the assholes of the athletics team. I never liked them, and I think they hate me, since I already discussed with their representative at the beginning of the school year. ” He counted with indifference, watching his nails.

"Did you get in trouble in your first year?" Yeosang started laughing, writing it down too.

“On the second day, to be precise. But, hey, they started it! ” Wooyoung crossed his arms, cheeks a little flushed as he remembered that. “I never started an argument, in my defense. I only do it to protect myself, but that Neanderthal said bad things to me, so I told him to stick that stick- ”

"Wooyoung!" Yeosang was shocked, to say the least, looking skeptically at the boy on the couch. He looked around, seeing some Council members passing by and looking at them with some amusement. "What to do with you?" He murmured, then sighed. "I am going to speak to the Sports representative, o.k.? Everything will be resolved as soon as possible, and don't hesitate to tell me or Seonghwa in case something happens, right? ”

"Right!" Wooyoung smiled excitedly, and although he was a little shit most of the time, Yeosang knew that that boy was just a sweetie with a defense too high. “Thanks, Yeo! When can we meet so I can take you to those losers? ”

"What time do you leave today?"

“At four-ten. Do you leave early? ”

“Yes, I leave at three forty today. Okay, I'll wait for you in front of your office, ok? Then you take me to, um, them. ” He concluded, not liking how that sentence had turned out; it looked like it was going to be sacrificed or something.

Wooyoung laughed a little, also wondering how he had said.

“Ok, Yeosang! Thanks again. See you later." He said goodbye quickly, running so he wouldn't be late.

*

Do you know when you start to question your life and all your decision so far? Well, it was in this lovely climate that Kang Yeosang followed Jung Wooyoung's hurried steps through the college crowded with noisy students. They were polka dot T-shirts and skirts below the knees, scarves wrapped around necks, hairstyles full of hairspray, expensive leather jackets and jeans everywhere, young people coming and going from their rooms, hiding cigarettes from teachers, putting up posters about political conflicts, encouraging after-class discussions. With all that going on in the world, his school was the stage for several interesting, sometimes violent, discussions about those inflammatory subjects.

Students greeted Yeosang as he passed, polite and not wanting to get in trouble with that important face from the Council. They opened the double doors of the school, stepping on the cobblestones worn with time, the green grass accommodating some students who sat on towels, benches and tables scattered outside, making the whole environment visually pleasant. However, they left the greenish area and walked quickly to the parking lot, in front of the school entrance, across the street.

Kombis, Gordinis, a few Aero-Willys and Interlagos, as well as several beetles and sedans filled the school's wide parking lot, the bright, attractive and brand-new colors actually making a great impression on anyone looking at cars. Some were too expensive to be available to young people just eighteen (sometimes seventeen), but the built-in responsibility for maintaining such a car surpassed any crazy desire to just go faster or get into trouble. Yeosang continued to follow Wooyoung, ignoring young people smoking while sitting on the hood of their respective cars, guarding his inner vice president for the moment.

He swallowed when he caught sight of the group in which he was supposed to 'kidnap' one of the members, continuing behind the determined and definitely not terrified Wooyoung. There were three boys, two of them leaning relaxed on motorbikes that seemed to have come out of the junkyard, exposed pipes and no aesthetics, if Yeosang was sincere - however, they had a bizarre aura, strangely imposing a cool image. The three boys were in plain jeans and boots, some of them wearing a leather jacket, their hair tidy. Only one of them was left in a black Aero-Willys car, all rusty and without glass on the windows, about to die a maximum of two miles away.

“Ugh, don't be impressed yet, Yeo. Their personalities match the vehicles they own. ” Wooyoung grunted, looking at the vice president over his shoulder, sighing as he walked a little faster towards a small boy, who was leaning on one of the cool motorcycles, lighting a cigarette. "What did I say about using this shit ?!" Wooyoung screamed suddenly, pulling the cigarette out of the boy's mouth, throwing the small object on the floor, stepping on it next. "I swear that one of these days they will find out what cigarettes kill, and I hope to see you rot in the hospital because of that, San."

Yeosang approached a little, blinking slowly when he realized that the boy was Wooyoung's childhood friend, Choi San. O.k., San slowly released the smoke, smiling in the process, looking with interest at the grumpy boy right in front of him.

"Pardon. Since you insist, I swear I will stop for good. ” He promised, taking care when dislodging the bike, the movement making Yeosang realize how tall he was. "I'm always happy when you come to see me, you know?"

"Come here." Wooyoung ignored him completely, grabbing him by the jacket, pulling the poor boy towards the vice president, who still kept a healthy (and safe) distance from them. "God, you smell like cigarettes, you disgusting!" Wooyoung wrinkled his nose, bringing the fabric of Choi's white T-shirt to his face to make sure that that abhorrent smell was ingrained in him. "Oh, San, I can't believe you're really smelling like tobacco."

"I don't smoke often, I think the smell doesn't come from me, but from these guys." He stated, pointing his head at his friends. "But if you want, you can go over to my house and help me do the laundry-"

"Yeosang!" Wooyoung, again, totally ignored what San had to say, bringing the boy close to the vice president with animation. San just smiled to himself, not at all bothered by his friend's loud personality. "This is my childhood friend, Choi San." Jung decided to introduce the boy to him, even though Yeosang found out for himself.

San was already laughing, and with that introduction, his smile only increased. The two exchanged a very calm handshake, with Yeosang feeling a little more comfortable with that approach.

"I know you. You're from the Council, right? ” San tried to confirm what he already suspected, producing a happy ‘hm’ when Yeosang nodded positively. "O.k., why did you bring an important person to these sides, Wooyoungie?"

"The director, he ..." Yeosang started, not sure exactly how to explain it. "You are friends with Choi Jongho, right?" He decided to start from the basics, a little anxious.

“Jongho? Yes we are friends! Did he get in any trouble with the Council? ”

“Oh, more or less. The director fears that Jongho will repeat the year, and according to him, he will not accept repeat students due to the overpopulation of the rooms. Jongho is a case that can be solved with some better grades this semester, so he thought that, if I helped him, he could recover and graduate. ” He explained everything in the best possible way, his voice always so soft, suddenly nervous with the whole situation.

"Hmm, I see." San stroked his chin, seeming to think deeply about it. "It must be hard to be vice president, huh ..."

"Jongho won't want to participate in this, I believe." An incredibly hoarse voice sounded slow and lazy between them, the three of them turning their heads to the guy hiding in the car. The jacket was over his face, indicating that he had slept until then. However, the person lying inside the Aero slowly removed his jacket from his face, yawning and stretching slowly like a cat, skeletal hands protruding from the glassless windows, clearly too tired to do anything else.

"Why do you say that, Yunho?" San looked curious, inquiring before he could think.

"We know well that he has problems with ... Hm ..." The knocked-out boy in the car sat on the bench, yawning again before putting his head out in one of the holes that were the windows, smiling lazily at them. "I forgot the word."

"Problems with anger?" Wooyoung tried to guess, suddenly afraid. “Is he temperamental? Or does he have problems with Council staff? ”

"No, no, no." Yunho laughed, finding it funny. "He has trouble connecting with others." He explained, trying to summarize the situation. “He's not good at talking to people, so they end up spreading bizarre things about him. But, anyway, I think he will not accept it precisely because he is unable to speak well with strangers, Mr. Vice President. ” He summed up everything he thought, eyes watering with sleep.

"And he's not around here for you to ask about it now, vice president." Another boy, who had been quiet until then, decided to speak up, looking slightly sad for Yeosang when he informed him of that. "Him and Hongjoong have classes until later today.

"Yeah, Mingi is right." San confirmed with surprise, pointing at the boy who had just spoken with his thumb, not turning to look at him. "However, if you want, I can explain to him when we meet."

"Are you sure you can do this?" Wooyoung crossed his arms, suspiciously. "I don't trust you for these things, it looks like you're going to get all confused and say that Yeosang wants to kill him."

"Hey!" San looked a little offended.

Kang Yeosang sighed once, pressing his temple for solutions. He could not escape this task, it was, in addition to one of the director's requests, one of his duties as vice president. If he couldn’t solve it, he was in danger of even being demoted, and having a huge ‘INCOMPETENT’ on his resume wasn’t something he would have liked to introduce to Stanford. After all, he also pulled Wooyoung for that whole roll in a favor; He couldn't just waste it.

(In the distance, while Wooyoung and San argued, Jung pulled the boy's collar and pointed at Yeosang, mumbling a 'see, he's thinking. Follow this example and try to do it more often, it will be good for you, despite being a little difficult at first ', getting Mingi and Yunho to laugh too loudly, loving how Wooyoung always found a way to end San.)

"O.k., I think I found a solution." Yeosang said more to himself than to the others, interrupting that ridiculous fight when he spoke. “San, please, if you can, let him know about what happened, and say that he does, in fact, run the risk of not graduating, in addition to being expelled. If he really has so many problems with relating to new people, I'm sure he would prefer to meet one person over an entire school. I am not 100% in agreement with this decision, but there is nothing I can do but cooperate. ” He sighed, one hand on his chest, afraid of how it was going to end. "I'm really sorry to bother you now, especially you, Wooyoungie."

" It's okay, really." Wooyoung waved a hand in front of his face, smiling friendly at the vice. "Anything you can talk to me, Yeo." He ended, pretending not to hear the 'we’ve been friends for fifteen years and I never heard you say that to me’ San grumbled.

Yeosang sighed, still a little concerned.

"Thank you for that. It was a pleasure to meet you guys. ” He waved to the boys, smiling angelically to everyone there.

They were still a little scary, if Yeosang was being sincere. O.k., they seemed very calm and friendly, but as Yeosang already knew very well, they were troublemakers and went to great lengths to actually end up like that...

However, while returning home, Yeosang actually stopped to think about it. He walked in automatic, his head full of weird thoughts about all kinds of things. He had never seen any of those guys start a fight, he was sure of it. They were not violent towards everyone, in reality they only reacted when provoked.

He laughed to himself as he remembered what Seonghwa and Wooyoung had said about them: losers.

Okay, maybe they were, really. Nor was it evil to try to reinforce, they gladly accepted that they were, in fact, failures.

With the idea in mind, Kang Yeosang entered his home a little less terrified.

But just a little.

*

"Yeo, how's your job with Jongho going?" Park Seonghwa came in saying that in the Council room, a cynical smile of shit on his usually beautiful face, glasses well placed over his nose. 

"What work?" Yeosang responded with some bitterness, reviewing his notes on the vandalism case on the basketball team. He had spoken to many people, including the team leader and Physical Education teachers, always trying to organize things to make the information clearer. "You know I haven't contacted them in a week."

Yep, that was true. Yeosang didn't even know what to do or why it was happening. Choi Jongho evaporated from the map, perhaps too hesitant at the thought of repeating the year and receiving help from a stranger. Neither Wooyoung or San knew about Choi's whereabouts.

'I swear I told him exactly what had happened.' San had argued with a guilty look. 'He just froze and said it was okay, but then he left and so far we have no news about. Sorry, vice. ’

Ah, that was so frustrating ...

"I'm glad it's not me." Seonghwa responded with a mean look, laughing when Yeosang looked at him with a certain laziness. "I'm just kidding! He'll show up at one time or another. There is nowhere to run. In fact, what a great idea for you to approach those losers with the help of Wooyoung ”

Yeosang felt guilty for laughing, patting his cheeks lightly.

"Don't call them that, Seonghwa." He said, his voice a little weak as he let out a timid chuckle.

"You're right, I can get stabbed if I keep talking about them like that ..." Park grunted, bending down to box some files. "The number of people who are going to prom is ridiculous ... A lot of work." He continued to complain, wiping his hands on his knees. "You know that you will be appointed as King, don't you?"

"I don't care about these things." Yeosang was sincere, putting his pencil away when he was done with it. "Here, Mr. President, the vandalism of the basketball team." He extended the paper to Seonghwa, who almost hit his head against the table.

“Can't you handle this, Sangie? I'm up to my neck with things to work out. ” He whimpered, and Yeosang couldn't say whether it was cheap or not. "Please, Yeosang!" He pleaded with narrowed eyes, almost kneeling to ask.

"Oh, all right ..." Yeosang rolled his eyes, giving up faster than he intended. "But you owe me a favor."

"Sure, you helped me a lot now." Seonghwa made a positive with his hand, and Yeosang decided not to trust him. "I'm going to stop by the director's office to talk about the decorations in the hall, I'll be right back."

Yeosang nodded without paying much attention, snapping his fingers before returning his attention to the crumpled paper due to the constant touch, scratching the back of his neck as he thought about what to do.

And then, before he could proceed with any line of reasoning, he heard a simple knock on the door. He shouted a disinterested ‘come in!’, deciding that the best thing to do at the moment was to collect all that paperwork and hand it over to the Council’s sports manager, maybe it would be help-

All thoughts stopped circulating in his mind when he faced Choi Jongho standing at the door, hands holding the knob, a very curious look when facing the vice president. Two buttons of his dress shirt were open, exposing prominent collarbones, slightly disorganized threads and perfectly fitting pants.

"Oh." It was all Yeosang managed to say, surprise taking over his body. Just when he was ready to raise the white flag, his target simply surrendered. He was static for a moment, not knowing what to do, after all he was afraid of why Choi was there. "You, uh, heard the about your school situation, right?" He tried to start with the basics, his body a little dysfunctional, getting up for no apparent reason.

"Yeah." Jongo replied monosyllabically, completely expressionless. "Should I come in?"

"Please! Sit here. If San informed you correctly, you are aware that you cannot get any grades below the average this semester, correct? ” Yeosang shook himself for a moment, having a short circuit when thinking about what to do, hating surprises like that. He sat in the drawers of the table he was sitting on, flipping through papers in search of the cursed envelope, The Choi Case. "Oh here! Found it. The director handed me these sheets, if you want to have a look to see your frequency or subject you should try harder, you can- ”

"No, thank you." The placidity embedded in the tone of his voice was slightly disturbing, as if, in reality, he couldn't care less about it all. “You probably read it, didn't you? If you tell me, then I see no reason to read. ”

Kang Yeosang remained standing, feeling something strange in his core. So Jongho was that kind of guy: lazy. Stopping to analyze, everyone in that little group was, in fact, quite lazy, without exceptions, despite being nice. If he had to deal with the boy, that trait shouldn't be ignored.

“As we are talking about your life, I am sorry to inform you that my judgment as to what is or is not necessary is totally irrelevant. So, please read about what you are doing wrong so far and have the ability to change that. I will help you, but that does not mean that I will do all the work, I do not intend to perform miracles".He said calmly, his inner vice coming up, placing the file in front of the boy sprawled on the chair. Honestly, Yeosang was just waiting for the moment when Jongho decided to put his feet on the table.

A moment in which, thankfully, did not arrive.

Jongho looked at Yeosang as if daring him to fight, but said nothing. He ended up taking the envelope, looking with some curiosity at the name on its label.

"The Choi case." He read, smiling with some amusement. "I see that I am a problem for the school."

"There are worse cases." Yeosang said that to try to cheer him up a little, but maybe it had the opposite result.

"So why doesn't the director take care of these worst?" He suggested with some cynicism, raising an eyebrow in the process. "Wouldn't it be easier?"

"Your case is reversible, so he is trying to do that." He explained slowly, trying not to offend him in any way. "If you don't want this help, I'm sorry, but you should talk to the director and everything."

Jongho was silent for a while, looking at the paperwork as if thinking hard what he should do.

"The old man would be disappointed in you, wouldn't he?" He murmured, looking deep in thought. Then Jongho looked up, looking at him with a certain intensity. “Okay, Mr. Vice President. Lets do this."

Yeosang couldn't be more shocked. It was a strange mixture of relief and shock, everything swirling inside him.

"Are you serious?" Yeosang blinked, incredulous.

"I am." Jongho held out a hand to him, still expressionless. "Wooyoung told me that if you don't, you will certainly take some punishment." The boy shrugged, looking a little indifferent. "I feel bad about the idea of people fucking themselves because of me, anyway ... I'm not that stupid." He murmured the last part, making it almost inaudible.

Lazy, kinda dirty mouth and certainly irresponsible, but… Nice

Yes, Yeosang was right from the start about that, according to Seonghwa, a gang of losers: they had a well-defined profile, similar personalities merging in that mess of leather jackets and ugly but strangely cool motorcycles. Jongho's aura was distinct, however. There was something below the surface, something encrusted, well hidden behind the raised eyebrows in smugness, behind the smile raised only on one side

Yeosang squeezed his hand harder than necessary, taking a deep breath once

"I'm glad to hear this. I promise that I will do my best to work well as a team. ” However, there was a doubt hanging over him. "Did you make up your mind before you came here?" He asked with real curiosity, letting go of the boy's hand before returning to sit in the chair.

"Yes." The answer came monosyllabic, as Yeosang should have predicted, not appeasing even a third of his curiosity. Jongho stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, leaning against the chair with legs too far apart. "Can I go now?"

'' Don't you want to plan something? For example, days to meet and study, places or something. ”

"I leave at four-thirty only on Thursdays, and I have greater difficulties in economics, geometry and physics." He summed it all up, looking calm with what he said. “I am good at humanities in general, although I do poorly in French.” He concluded with a shrug. "I think that's the essential part."

Yeosang hurried to record everything in an important part of the brain, nodding as he spoke.

“Okay, I think I have supporting material for these subjects. I can see with the teachers too, so don't worry. Does starting tomorrow sounds good to you? ” When Jongho simply nodded, Yeosang continued, "Do you have a place in mind?"

"Library?" Jongho said with some amusement, as if the answer to that was clear.

“Sure, library. I have some business to do after school, so could you meet me there at two-thirty? ”

''Yes. See you tomorrow then." He said goodbye quickly, getting up and not wasting time leaving the room.

Yeosang swallowed, wondering what the hell had just happened.

*

See? Totally ruined. ” Wooyoung demonstrated, squeezing the hard material of the basketball, watching it soften between his fingers, completely ruined. "That person blowed up all the balls, and now we have nothing to do." He mumbled, handing the poor ball over to the Council's sports manager, Kim Mingyu.

"Not only that, the basket chains are also broken." Yeosang pointed, showing that the note he had made matched the condition of the baskets perfectly. Mingyu, a boy too tall to be true, made a sympathetic ‘hmm’, still squeezing the ball.

"Did you say you have suspicions?"

"Yes, the athletics team." Wooyoung admitted, not looking embarrassed. “They messed with me, so I verbally assaulted them. They probably didn't like it very much. ” He murmured, a little doubtful. "But it's been a long time, I don't believe they still have heartache."

"Oh, did you hit them?" Mingyu asked suddenly, eyes wide, surprise on his face. He seemed nothing but unbelieving, not knowing how to deal with the fact that someone so apparently harmless had an angry soul.

"Verbally." Wooyoung corrected, lifting his nose. "In my defense, one of them touched me without my permission here." He indicated, placing his hands on her bottom, trying to hide his embarrassment. “He, moreover, asked me to be quiet, but of course I didn't do it. I screamed and swore at him, telling him to swallow magnesium powder while he stuck that stick in- ”

"OK." Kim cleared his throat, looking a little more shocked. "It doesn't matter now whether or not they were responsible for hurting the basketball team, if he did that to you, he's in trouble for it."

"It's true, I was there." Yeosang turned his head to find a Choi San exhausted from training, half dead and covered in sweat. San walked barefoot around the court, holding his shoes in one hand, messy threads and chest stuck to the old, grimy T-shirt for training. "I am a witness that this really happened, representative." He raised a hand in an oath. "If I wasn't there at the time, we who knows what would happen to Wooyoung."

"I would have broken his spine, San!" Wooyoung tried to defend himself, the aggressive mode suddenly on.

"Of course you would." San smiled, winking at Yeosang, as if to say 'he doesn't hurt a little fly'. “I was lucky to hear his screams. I ran into the locker room, and that idiot looked really disgusting. The worst part is that the athletic team shares the same hours as the basketball team, so this guy is always around. ” He commented with some disgust, as if he was disgusted just thinking about it.

The day was at a pleasant temperature, but as the court had no coverage, the constant exposure to the sun made everything more difficult. The running track, along with all the objects of the athletics personnel, was less than fifty meters away, and Yeosang could even identify faces among the people running along the track.

“Your observation fits many things, San. As the two groups share the same times, access to items is simpler. They could easily take things, hide them and break them without being noticed while you are training. ” Mingyu concluded with some simplicity, already convinced that the athletics people had, in fact, done that. "Wooyoung, can you take me to your team representative, to talk?"

"Sure! Talk to you later." Wooyoung murmured the last part to San, who just smiled and waved before the Jung left.

Yeosang then had a sudden thought. He turned to San, who was breathing heavily as he sat on the bleachers, close to his things, putting his sneakers on the floor before rummaging through more comfortable shoes in his backpack.

"I didn't know you were on the basketball team, San. " He talked, sitting next to the boy.

"Ah, I'm not” San reported with a strange smile, as if he had remembered something happy when he said that.

“So why are you all sweaty like that? Weren't you training with the others? ” Yeosang was in fact in a state of gloom, pointing to the court full of young people half dead on the floor, some practicing pitches.

"I was, but not because I wanted to." He laughed, turning to the older man. “Coach Park doesn't let you stay in his class doing anything, you know? So I have to do all these exercises. ” He explained, unrolling a sock in the process.

Oh.

Yeosang connected all the dots quickly, feeling a little hot in strange places. San did not do any extracurricular activities but participated in the activities of the basketball team because he wanted to keep an eye on the boy who had done bad things with his friend. That is, he sacrificed much of his time simply to serve as Wooyoung's bodyguard, and Yeosang fervently suspected that Jung had no idea of that.

"How cute." Kang couldn't help himself; He said that in giggles, trying to smother them with one hand.

"What's cute?" San raised an eyebrow at him, then turned his face to face the athletic team, his expression changing slightly as he watched the boys.

"Nothing, don't mind me. ”

“How are you doing with Jongho? He told me that he agreed to study with you, but he can be kind of weird at times. He's a good person, though. ”

“We are going to study at the library today, or at least we agreed to do that. Whether he will show up or not, I don't know anymore. ”

"Yes, he will. He's good with promises. ” San smiled, his skin damp with sweat shining in the bright sun. "I hope everything works out for both of you."

Yeosang bit the inside of his cheeks, hoping that, in fact, everything worked out.

*

The librarian smoked behind the counter, typing on her pink typewriter, glasses with chains of fake pearls placed right at the tip of her nose, looking bored when typing probably boring things on the slightly crumpled paper. The cigarette between her fingers rested gently on the ashtray before she took a look at her final work, too busy with it to worry about the noisy youngsters at the back of the establishment.

Several young people sat at the long tables between the tall shelves and filled with the most diverse books separated by predetermined sections, immersed in adventure books or simply school supplements, like a fearsome book of calculations or economics.

“Starting with physics is the best option, or at least that's what I think. As economics and geometry are part of the same subject, we can review the items more carefully later, since they are very specific. Do you do any extracurricular activities? ” Yeosang said quietly, not wanting to disturb other young people around him. They were between two powerful shelves, both of which were works on science fiction.

"No." Choi jongho was always like that, simple and objective, an apparently new and unused pencil and notebook on the table.

“You should do it, Jongho. You can earn good points with that. I can fit you in some club, like basketball, at least. If you prefer less action, there is also the arts. ” Yeosang opened up a wide range of possibilities, but the only thing he received was a slight bow of his shoulders, as if Jongho didn't care what Yeosang was doing to him. The vice president sighed then. “You don't talk much, do you? I feel that we should have some bond, to make things easier. ”

"Do you want to become my friend?"

"Sure!"

Silence.

Choi Jongho kept his hands on the cold surface of the table, looking at his fingers with some interest, the buttons on his shirt too open. The dark skin appeared without difficulty for those who wanted to see it, the jacket covering little.

"I'm not very good at talking to people, sorry." He justified himself, still looking at his fingers.

Yeosang shifted in his chair, thinking that at least he was trying.

“We can start by talking about where you've been in the past few days. In fact, if you want to pass the year, you must maintain a high presence in some classes, especially, let me see ... ” Yeosang took the envelope, leafing through a few pages to find the boy's frequency. "Physical education and almost all humanities classes."

"If I already know all the content, why would I bother to enter these classes?" He summed up his whole opinion with a certain laziness, leaning forward and resting his chin on his fist, staring at the vice with disinterest.

"That does not make any sense." Yeosang smiled, putting the envelope aside for the moment. “You only sink into faults, that's all. From now on, at least come in. You don't have to pay attention, just be there. ” He shrugged, quickly resolving the problem. "You can even study other subjects."

"Oh, how strange." Jongho smiled, looking delighted by that attitude. "The vice president, an exemplary boy, advising other students to sleep in classes." Jongho said that too loudly, attracting the attention of two or three students across the library.

"I did not say that!" Yeosang despaired for a moment, looking around with some fear. When Jongho tarted to laugh, Yeosang couldn't help himself he crumpled a piece of paper, throwing it with some anger at Jongho's chest.

“And even beat other students in one of the school's facilities!” Jongho dramatized everything again, pressing the spot where he had been hit by the piece of paper, sinking into the chair after failing to measure the volume of his own voice, seeming indifferent to the looks they received. "What an ugly thing, Mr. Vice President, attacking me like that after inciting me to sleep in classes ..."

"I do not-"

"Shut up, you two!" The librarian roared behind the counter, craning her neck like a wild animal to try to see who was responsible for that hellish buzz, the cigarette stuck in her fingers.

Yeosang sank into the chair with a puzzled expression, shocked that he had received a lecture, trying not to look at the totally smiling face of Choi Jongho, who seemed to enjoy the situation a lot, probably holding up a laugh.

"Don't make that face, vice." The boy commented, biting his lip to keep from melting into scandalous laughter, one hand still pressing on his chest. "You don't have to be so hurt."

"I am not hurt." Yeosang murmured, feeling bitten, not accepting that sermon that was not even his fault "Let's start with reflection and perspective, and you better get A + on this test."

"In addition to being an aggressor and bad company, he still abuses his students psychologically ... Where did that old man put me, huh?" Jongho just couldn't stop. Although he was willing to absorb some content, he was forced to put a little pressure on the little wound, amusing himself with the exaggerated reactions (in his opinion, of course) of the vice president, who did his best not to curse him. “Don't you curse, sir vice? You can tell me to fuck off if you want. ”

Yeosang cleared his throat, opening the textbook to page one hundred and forty, turning it towards Jongho, tapping his finger on the red title.

“Let's start here. There are exercises on the next page, so hurry things up. ”

"You don't really curse." Jongho smiled, murmuring that more to himself, directing his attention to the book. "No wonder they call you a prince out there, right?"

"I don't care about those things." Yeosang ended up answering him with some embarrassment, even part of his red neck. “I find it funny, in reality, that being polite means being a prince… Isn't that a little too much? I mean, that means people are being so rude that any action is seen as chivalry, isn't it? ”

"No, that means they like you." Jongho did not look at him, writing something down in his notebook while saying all that. “Calling you a prince and praising your education are just excuses to talk to you, Mr. Vice President. There are thousands of educated and kind people, but they are not crowned, and that is because they are not considered relevant. The large masses are like that, and there are not many secrets. ” He concluded his line of reasoning, smiling at the thought of something in particular. "If you refuse to go with someone to prom, see if they will continue to talk to you or even call you a prince ... People are like that."

"That's so... Pessimistic." Yeosang raised his eyebrows, a little surprised by that kind of thought. “Anyway, that's why I'm not going to prom. I find it too problematic, this whole process of King or Queen, or simply the invitation. There are people who will never be invited, and that bothers me. ”

Jongho stopped writing for a moment. He pressed the tip of the pencil against an empty line, slowly looking up to face that strange being just ahead.

"Truly ..." A prince, completed mentally, hating himself a little for that.

"What?" Yeosang blinked, a little flustered.

"You make a strange face when you pretend not to be nervous about something."

"Am I not nervous?" It sounded more like a question, confused by that comment.

"I didn't understand that formula." Jongho totally changed the subject, raising his notebook to show the second student with more power in that constitution the root of his doubts.

Surprisingly, things went much better than Yeosang imagined. Although distinct and still a little strange, the two managed to resolve themselves and talk with a certain degree of intimacy, attracting a few glances from passersby who wondered what the hell a juvenile delinquent like that was doing near Kang Yeosang. 

At half past seven, after the librarian kindly warned that they would close at eight, Choi Jongho and Kang Yeosang left the place slowly, walking side by side through the empty and superficially lit corridors, the warm night air greeting them as they left the main gate.

"Thank you for today." Yeosang was the first to speak, hugging himself when a cold wind hit them, his shirt not being enough to protect him from the cold.

The city lights were on, the Friday always lively and colorful, with lively cheers and party people heading to the dances in the city. Students who had already left school hours passed by the two, some girls looking at Yeosang with some curiosity, perhaps in doubt as to whether or not they should invite him to something.

"I should say that." Jongho smiled, shrugging. He left his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans, unruly threads against the strong wind, looking at Yeosang through long lashes. "Watch out on the street, Mr. Vice President."

"Ah, you too ..." Yeosang started, a little uncertain whether or not to say that, since Jongho didn't seem so scared of the idea of going out at night. "... I think." He complemented quickly, laughing at himself, his hair always so straight looking crazy now, falling over his genuinely sweet eyes, making him, in a very strange, beautiful way.

Not that Jongho should have noticed that, anyway.

"You didn't bring a jacket, did you? ” Jongho decided to act on pure instinct, snapping his tongue for his own behavior.

"No, but I live twenty minutes from here, so there is no problem."

"Right." Jongho totally ignored what the deputy said, taking off his jacket quickly, placing it on Yeosang's shaky shoulders. “Return it on monday. See you, vice. ” He said goodbye before Yeosang could complain, his shirt half open not seeming to bother him as he walked quickly away from Yeosang's way home, leaving the poor vice president in disbelief, standing at the weight of his jacket on his shoulders, smelling tobacco mixed with a strong perfume in the thick material of the garment.

"Has he lost his mind?” Yeosang murmured to himself, pressing on the soft inside of the jacket, looking at her briefly, feeling a little heat rising up to his ears.

*

"Yeosang!" Kang was a little startled to hear his name being called, quickly closing the closet, turning to look at the long-haired girl with a dress just above her ankles. Her waist was marked by a black belt, the white fabric with black polka dots matching her shoes. "Sorry, did I scare you?" She laughed, as if she weren't so sorry.

"It didn't scare me, don't worry." He smiled, very nice and friendly, leaning against the cabinets while paying attention to what she wanted with him.

"I know it's very early, but I was wondering if you are going to the prom." She continued to smile, one hand caressing the fabric of her dress, her neck slightly tilted, looking sweet enough to never be rejected.

"Ah, I see ..." Yeosang pursed his lips, feeling a little guilty. "Sorry, I'm not going to the dance." He explained, scratching the back of his neck, he knew he couldn't escape that situation for a long time; although it was barely winter yet, the seniors were already looking forward to the dance in July, and that meant that Yeosang would be chased by the most varied type of people asking whether he would go or not, whether he already had a date or not. "But a lot of the third-year still don't have a date, so I'm sure you will soon find someone." He smiled, then, as if to say an 'see you', slowly moving away from her.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Park Seonghwa approached Yeosang like a bull, snorting when he purposefully bumped into him. “You are going to prrom, Jisoo! I already said, didn't I? ” Seonghwa circled the vice's shoulders, looking at him angrily. "I need maximum control of this ball, and having the head of the Council there is essential."

Yeosang tried his best not to kick his friend, sighing heavily.

"You can't make me go, Seonghwa."

"Ah, I can ... I can, and I will." Seonghwa had something in his eyes that said try to challenge me, boy.

"Pres!" Seonghwa, still glued to Yeosang as if chasing him was going to change his head, barely paid attention to the third-year boy who was approaching almost bouncing. "Pres, I brought the nominees for King and Queen this year!" He informed, shaking the leaves in front of their faces, all excited.

"Already?!" Yeosang took the leaves, making a guttural sound when he saw his name on the list. He pressed his eyes hard, hating that situation. "You can get my name out of here, Felix, I'm not going to participate."

"Oh, why not? You will probably win, based on the comments I'm hearing. ” Lee Felix tried to bargain, his journalistic spirit collaborating for his position as head of the school newspaper, maintaining his position since he entered that place. “Come on, vice, there are only advantages to participating in the ball. Getting some chicks, free drinks, going out with a crown at the end, huh? ” He waved his eyebrows, his face usually funny and even cute in those situations.

"Never say 'getting some chicks' with that face in front of me again." Seonghwa almost killed him right there, choosing to press his cheeks instead. “Unfortunately, you are right. There are no disadvantages to attending the dance, Yeosang. ” However, while Seonghwa was busy squeezing Felix's cheeks, Yeosang ran away from them, plunging into the crowd of students in the corridor, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

Listen, it's not like Yeosang is a big party enemy, it wasn't that. He just knew he was going to be crowned, and that was awful. Seeing people coming up all the time, asking the same thing, was just too much for him. Even when he was in his first and second years, seniors invited him to go to the ball with them, but Yeosang always denied it.

There was no fun in being the King of prom, and all that an was endless nonsense to him. 

Anyway, Yeosang tried to forget about this topic for a while. He talked to teachers about support materials he could use to instruct Jongho, which was far better than he had imagined. After the day he went home with the boy's jacket, their relationship evolved from mere acquaintances to ... Friends. Sure, they weren't best friends forever, but it was a big deal.

Sometimes, in the one month that had passed since the jacket episode, Yeosang had lunch with the people of that (according to Seonghwa, of course) pathetic gang, having fun with them. In the end, Yeosang learned that Jongho was just a guy full of bad jokes and self-love, kind of shy, but sometimes well shot. Kim Hongjoong, leader of that riot, always turned on the car radio at a pleasant volume, humming along with Elvis or Beatles all those love songs ... Yes, in the end, he was just a closeted romantic.

Yunho always fell asleep on the third or fourth song, feet out of the car, jacket over his face so as not to be disturbed by the light, while San, Hwang Hyunjin (another household, just like Yeosang) and Mingi played cards on the clean grass, skeletal motorcycles well chained behind them. Yeosang and Jongho always studied in the meantime, redoing tests together and memorizing formulas.

(Sometimes Wooyoung would show up to say a thing or two, either about the athletic team or cursing San, but the fact was, he always got in the way of the card game. San always ended up following him in order to tease him a little bit.)

"He's so obvious." Hongjoong laughed, protecting the fragile flame of the lighter while trying to light his cigarette, looking at the small object between his lips.

"He was winning, but he still ran ..." Mingi grunted, checking the cards in San 's hands before he abandoned everything without hesitation. "When is he going to tell us?"

“Probably never. It's none of our business, anyway. Let's stop talking about it. ” Hongjoong decreed before anything else was said, glancing at Yeosang's curious and surprised face. "What is it, vice?" He smiled, trying not to look too scary. "Something wrong?"

Yeosang looked a little alarmed, shaking his head.

"No, there is nothing wrong." He turned to Jongjo, swallowing. "Did you manage to solve that exercise?"

"Kinda. I don't know if I'll be able to solve it if I don't have support material. ” He was sincere, tapping his pencil against the notebook. "I don't know if The Choi Case has salvation." He joked, laughing at the disgusted face that Yeosang made, as if mentally sending him to that place, accepting nothing but multiple A + after spending so much time with Jongho. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, calm down." He tried to calm him down, leaning over to rest his head on Yeosang's shoulder. "You don't really curse, wow."

"It's true, I never saw him say a bad word." Mingi smiled, looking amused. "Even the Chairman of the Board has sworn several times, but you haven't"

"Someone has to remain righteous there. An evil being like Seonghwa cannot be compared. ” He also smiled, correcting the exercise that Junhui had just done. "Oh, you miscalculated ... The square root of sixteen is not eight, Jongho." He commented with some amusement, putting a big red X on the exercise. "However, the logic is correct ... If it weren't for this mistake of attention, you would get an A."

"What a disappointment, Jongho." Hongjoong shook his head several times, pretending to be shocked by that mistake. "I didn't expect that from you."

"Hey." Yeosang turned to Hongjoong, eyebrows together. "Students are completely prohibited from smoking on the school premises." He informed, activating his vice-severe mode, reaching out to reach the small and harmless object in Kim's mouth, which moved away due to the boy's touch. "Hongjoong!"

"You can smoke outside school, can't you?" Hongjoong smiled, completely mischievous, the cigarette stuck between his lips, adjusting the dark pants on his body when he stood up, looking around.

“The gates are closed, what are you-” Yeosang almost choked on his own saliva when he saw Hongjoong, full-bodied and strong, running against the school wall, jumping and clinging to the spears that covered the wall, passing without major difficulties, a petulant smile dwelling on his mouth before he jumped out, leaving a gawking Yeosang behind.

"I didn't let that go unnoticed" Mingi pretended to whisper beside the vice, diabolical. "This behavior smells like a detention."

"I'm sorry about that, vice, but just because you're around, it doesn't mean they'll act like the good guys. ” Hyunjin gave an odd opinion, almost as if he were a member of the gang himself, when in reality he was just a scared little boy.

"Ok, I'm scared." Yeosang whispered more to himself than to anyone, taking a start when he heard laughter dragging too close, barely noticing how close Jongho was to him. From that distance, he could easily see himself in the incredibly dark orbs of the Choi, who was staring at him with immeasurable attention, almost as if trying to pierce his soul using only his eyes, his prominent Adam's apple moving after realizing the intensity Yeosang was looking at him. He blinked, turning his attention to the notebook, carefully moving away from the vice president, not wanting to cause any strangeness. "Pardon." Yeosang suddenly murmured, feeling a little lost.

*

Losing track of things while looking at someone is never a good sign.

At least, that's what Kang Yeosang learned that day.

He couldn't stop thinking about it. Even at home, while studying alone, Yeosang returned to thinking about what had happened that afternoon. He hated to think about that topic, but the feeling of Jongho's jacket over his shoulders was still… there. Kang stroked his shoulders, the thin material of his pajamas didn't help much, all pinching his skin. Jongho's perfume was still ingrained in one of his dress shirts, and that would have been a big problem for him if he hadn't shown his mother that the smell of tobacco came from a colleague's jacket.

Even after several washes, the aroma was still there, intact. Yeosang felt strange whenever he wore that particular shirt. As he slid his arms into his sleeves, the delicate fabric massaging his sensitive complexion, inhaling the typical smell that Jongho shouted, the poor vice president felt wrong. It was as if the boy was there, hugging him while he put on his clothes.

What a....problem.

*


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done  
> I thought I would take another chapter bus I managed to fit everything here 
> 
> Please leave me your thoughts in the comments, I'll love to know what you thought of all this mess
> 
> Enjoy❤

The vinyl store was packed at that time. Adults and children shared the space in the small establishment, accompanied by Beatles invading the entire place, the music even reaching around the sidewalk. Yeosang took a good look at the discs, pursed lips and distant mind, despite trying to focus on something.

"Do you have this one?" Seonghwa's voice sounded curious at his side, but Yeosang's reflexes were not quick enough for him to disguise his total indifference to the place."What's the matter with you?You're staring at nothing, it's scary. ”Seonghwa grunted, putting a Bob Dylan record back on the shelf. “Tell me, are you okay? Don't be like this, Yeosang, they are saying that there are a lot of new bands coming out there, you should be happy. I got the name of one these days, Rolling Stones, they’re causing a buzz, if they’re good, can we play them at our graduation, huh? ” Seonghwa suggested, tapping Yeosang gently with his shoulder. When there was no answer, Seonghwa took a deep breath, realizing that not even a walk through a vinyl store would help him out of that.

"I ..." Yeosang started, a little uncertain."I'm kind of weird."

"Wow, really?” Seonghwa grunted, full of irony.

"I am having some weird thoughts, don't mind me."

"Is it related to your involvement with those outcasts?" Seonghwa tried to guess by placing a hand on his waist, willing to find out what was wrong.“ It is, isn't it? Did they do something to you? I knew something would go wrong, you are too good for that… ”

“No, they didn't do anything, I promise.They were even totally different than I thought, they are actually pretty cool.The problem is ... with me. I think.Have you ever felt weird looking at another boy? ” 

"What? What are you talking about?"Seonghwa's tone of voice dropped considerably, now just a desperate whisper, looking at the people around him, afraid to be heard. "Let's get out of here, it's not a good thing to talk about it in public."Seonghwa assured, pulling Yeosang out of the store.

Cold air from late November forced them to wear warm scarves and pants, hands tucked in coated jackets."What are you talking about, Yeosang?"

"I also don't understand."Yeosang murmured, feeling a little guilty. He cringed, hiding behind his scarf, hating that bizarre look that Seonghwa had. "Is it that weird?"

"It's not weird, it's just ..." In the end, the last thing Park Seonghwa wanted was to scare his best friend. He had a concerned look on his face, eyebrows arched and close together, hands damp and wet inside his pockets.“It is not weird, Yeosang. But I don't hear that often either, you know? You took me by surprise ... Oh, I have an idea.Let's have something to eat, have a milkshake, and then you can explain it to me. ” He suggested, even though winter was knocking on the door and it was unfortunate cold. “Don't make that face, we will! I pay, if you want. ”

He gave his final offer, smiling because he knew he had already won, laughing openly when Yeosang just nodded, letting himself be guided through the busy streets.

Park Seonghwa had done one of the best things he could have done. Despite not being debated at all, he still left all his opinions muffled until he heard what Yeosanghad to say. He did not let himself be carried away by anything, he stood firm next to his best friend, paying them both for a strawberry milkshake with chocolate icing. The cafeteria glowed in neon, so crowded that there was no way in.

They sat on the sidewalk, next to some motorbikes, side by side, knees pressed, huddled in the cement because of the cold. Yeosang, while playing with his straw, counted with few omissions everything he felt about it, as confused as he could be. Seonghwa listened quietly, taking his milkshake, looking at the street in front of them, ears in good spirits.

"It's only been two months since you were put into this mess, but you already feel that way ..." Seonghwa murmured, trying not to confess how bizarre he thought Yeosang was not disgusted by the smell of another guy on his clothes.“I think… You are thinking too much about this. Why don't you try to relax?I bet Jongho doesn't care about the situation. It is nothing alarming or worrying, Yeosang. However, if you want, I can put an end to it. I can speak to the director personally, and you are free without taking any penalty. ” He promised, turning to the boy, showing he was being serious about it.

"No, you don't have to." Yeosang shrugged, also looking out into the street. “I will do what you are telling me.I'm going to relax, try not to worry too much… Yeah, I'm going to do this. ”He nodded with conviction, more to himself than Seonghwa, his nose red from the cold air.

"Are you sure?" Park laughed, and although it sounded a little smug, he was a little concerned.

"Yes." Yeosang smiled, turning to him."Thanks."

Something seemed to shock Seonghwa, he was about to say something like 'for nothing', but he stopped himself, something evil taking over his ideas.

"You owe me now, right?" Little horns grew between its dark strands, a devilish smile accompanying the process. "These milkshakes were very expensive, only something big could make up for them ..." He pretended to ponder, caressing his chin in false doubt. "Hm, what could it be, I wonder ..."

"I hate you." Yeosang whimpered, resting his forehead on his knees, wanting to throw himself on the avenue.

"I love you, too, King of the prom!" Seonghwa smiled, patting Yeosang on the shoulders. “I'm going to ask Felix to put your name back on the voting list, great prince. I hope you already have a nice pair, huh? ”

"Why are you like this, Park Seonghwa?" Yeosang asked rhetorically, hating how treacherous he was.

*

"There, be proud of me." That's how Jongho entered Yeosang's classroom that Wednesday morning. The boy looked identical to the other days, if not for the big smug smile he had and the strong smell of tobacco. Some students turned around, confused to see such a human being approaching their class representative and Vice President of the Student Council.

Yeosang gaped, looking at the proof that was placed on his desk with surprise and true admiration, touching the paper with a proud B at the head, followed by a ''congratulations'' Jongho couldn't have cared less about the looks he was getting, focusing solely on the reaction of his ‘teacher’.

"I bet your physics teacher has gone crazy." Yeosang laughed, thinking of a crazy Miss Nancy, laughing to himself by correcting that beauty of proof."But." He quickly changed his expression, stiffening his face."You were able to get an A. Why didn't you study?"

"You can only be kidding." Jongho opened his eyes softly, incredulous.“The only thing that prevented me from getting an A + was the teacher's mood, and that's it. Next time, I'm sure to give feedback, Mr. Vice President. ” He promised, dropping a firm slap on the poor boy's back, eliciting shocked reactions from some girls. "You can stay with that, by the way, I'm not in the mood to start collecting good grades."He laughed, winking at Yeosang before moving to leave.

"The next one is you, old man."Jongho pointed to the math teacher as if inviting him to a fight, his petulant and shameless pose making Yeosang hide his face with the well-evaluated test.

When Jongho left the room, closing the door carefully, several confused faces turned to Yeosang, still hiding behind the paper.The deputy slowly lowered the test, only his eyes showing.He blinked twice, and even the professor couldn't take the situation seriously.

"What student did you find, Yeosang ..." The man commented with a chuckle, turning back to the blackboard. (Deep down, he was happy. Despite his reputation for being mean, he liked it when his students were good at his subject - wasn't that every teacher's dream?)

Yeosang decided that the best option was to laugh, keeping the evidence in a separate section in his folder. He named it 'Jongho', already knowing that from then on he would receive many good tests like that.

For some reason, Yeosang found himself smiling while thinking about that.

*

Some people said that happy days went away faster than sad days, and it was even strange to think that in a single day things could change so drastically.

When Yeosang left the classroom at two o'clock, ready to head to the Council room, making commitments as vice president, he realized that chaos was in place and no one could do anything about it. He saw Felix running like crazy into the room, hurrying to hear some screams.

Yeosang opened the door, eyes wide when he found several important faces gathered, including Seonghwa, Principal Newman and the representative of the school's sports wing. The three looked at Yeosang, and Seonghwa soon raised both hands.

"Stay calm." He asked, since they needed calm at that moment.

"What happened?" Yeosang asked, totally afraid, looking around carefully, seeing members of the newspaper writing like crazy, including Felix, the most disheveled there.

"Calm down, everything will work out."Seonghwa repeated, but Yeosang saw his hands shaking.

"What is happening?!" Yeosang demanded, throwing his backpack in a corner below the main table, very nervous.

Before he could say anything, however, the door to the classroom jerked open, a first-year boy, junior in the school newspaper, appeared, breathless and red from running.

"Hongjoong showed up and is saying that he will knock down the locker room door!" He counted it all at once, probably too desperate to catch his breath, one hand pressed to his chest, pulling hard on the air.

“Hongjoong?! What?!" Yeosang was almost hit by a desperate Felix, who wasted no time jumping off the couch and chasing after the first year boy.

"We have to go down, Director. It is an urgent case, and I risk saying that, depending on the situation, they should all be expelled." Seonghwa said, trying not to be too upset by the situation, not expecting any response from the man, he circled the table, grabbing Yeosang's elbow as he left the room, dragging him with him. "I'm sure you will be one of the people who's going to be stressed the most today by what happened, but do your best not to get so upset, okay?'' Seonghwa decidedly advised, continuing to walk (almost run) towards the gym.

"I will do this if you tell me what happened!"

"You remember the basketball team being a victim of vandalism, don't you?"Seonghwa grunted, already out of breath. “Well, a janitor from the school told us that he saw some boys from the athletics team popping the balls and doing all that we already know. The director decided to punish them, then, with six months without activities at the club, making it impossible for them to participate in some important championships or something like that. ”He stopped walking then, grabbing Yeosang 's two shoulders. “Now, try not to go crazy, right? After hearing the news, the athletic team representative dragged and locked Wooyoung in the locker rooms along with a group of boys who are part of the team. From what I understand, he wants that whoever reported everything that was happening, pay the price. ”

Yeosang felt all his organs churning inside his body, instant discomfort plaguing him right there, pressing a fist against his mouth, preventing himself from vomiting. He thought of many people, on many different occasions, but the idea that the same boy who had harassed Wooyoung a few months ago had arrested him in the locker room with others, who knows how many boys was just nauseating.

"I knew you would react like this."Seonghwa released his best friend, pressing both hands against his face, probably feeling the same way, but unable to demonstrate. "I swear 'to you, Yeosang, in three years, this is the first time that I feel this way in the face of a situation." He confessed, a hot sweat running down his neck, releasing the air slowly. "You know I'm not a religious guy, but ... Only God knows what's going on inside that locker. "

"Don't say that, please ..." Yeosang crouched on the ground, leaning on the grass for a moment, unable to continue."Seonghwa, this guy is the same one who, you know, touched Wooyoung like that."

“He's a sick bastard, and just the idea of having him in the same frame as me, sharing space with underage girls and boys is disgusting for me, Yeosang. I don't care how Wooyoung gets out of there, I'm going to make them pay for it.” It was strange to see him like this, taking a position of leader, and not bargaining to break or miss meetings, as was the custom. When Seonghwa had to be a leader, he was.

“Did that boy say that Hongjoong would knock down the door? Are there a lot of people there? ” Yeosang pressed his eyes, rising slowly, rubbing his arms, horrible chills running through his body.

“From what Felix said, the entire basketball team is there, and some athletics boys who barely knew about this mess are also there. Oh, sure, that bunch of losers too. ” Seonghwa, seeing that Yeosang could walk again, started to walk faster, crossing the lawn towards the gym. “Worst of all, if one of them touches one of the boys on the athletics team, they will also be punished, even though, in our view, they are right to have that hatred.”

It was scary.

Feeling useless despite having great power was really scary.

When they arrived there, a few steps ahead of the director and several others responsible for the different areas of the Council, Yeosang saw that the confusion was much greater than he anticipated.Hongjoong was standing in front of the locked door of the men's locker room, holding a Yankees bat, shouting for them to get out of there as soon as possible. Yunho was hanging from one of the tall frosted glass windows in the locker room, trying to see something, reporting everything to the people who gathered around the place.

"What the fuck is going on ?!" Seonghwa screamed, scaring many people, including Yeosang, walking towards the crowd. "Did they do anything to Wooyoung?"

"From what Yunho told us, they locked him in the last cabin, but apparently they hit him before that." One of the boys on the basketball team reported, looking as shaken as the rest of the staff."What the fuck, he shouldn't have said anything."

"Damn cowards!" Seonghwa pressed his lips together, his stomach churning."You won't get out of this, you bastards!" He continued to shout, approaching where Hongjoong was. "I know it seems impossible right now, but if you act violently with them, you could suffer severe penalties too. "

"Aren't you Mr. Pres?" Hongjoong spun the club, slamming the base of the object against the already battered door.“So get me rid of that, Seonghwa. Just say that I acted because we were in an emergency situation. ” He muttered, aiming for a person behind the crowd.“Hey, director! Have you ever seen a head split in half before? ”

"Excuse me please." Director Newman approached the situation, passing people in a hurry, looking with some concern at Hongjoongl. "Do not do it." He asked, raising a hand. “They will be captured. If they don't leave in ten minutes, I'll call the police and everything will be resolved. If the confined student has suffered any type of abuse, excuses will not be accepted, and in addition to all paying the cost for this violence, they will still be penalized with expulsion, which is a pity, as important colleges do not accept students who have expulsion on their records." It ended, loud and clear enough that the boys inside could hear him, remaining calm in the face of that chaos.

Yeosang felt that a part of him would disintegrate from his body and fall, flabby, to the floor. His whole body was shaking, hands close to the chest, sweating cold when facing that horrible situation with hands tied, thinking that everything was his fault.

I should have told Wooyoung to keep everything anonymous, should have resolved it earlier, should have simply framed them as soon as Seungkwan accused them, should-

"You look like a Pinscher puppy, Mr. Vice President." Yeosang tensed when he heard Jongho's voice, turning slowly to look at him. "Look at you, all shaky and scared." Jongho clicked his tongue, seeming to dislike what he saw, deciding that hugging him at that moment was the best option.

In fact, being hugged by Jongho at that moment was the best thing for the vice.Yeosang took a deep breath, trying not to drown in the scent that covered his senses for now, tears felt wetting Choi's T-shirt, the deputy's desperate fingers clinging to the soft material of his clothing. Jongho held him tightly in a firm grip, willing to make him at least stop shaking. “I know what you're thinking about now, Yeosang. San told me how disgusting that guy could be, but he is not going to do anything for Wooyoung. He might have attacked him, but I'm sure it won't be more than that. He's not that stupid, and he knows he could go to jail if something like that happens. He'll be fine, and none of this is happening because of you. ” He tried to assure him, rubbing his back gently, even though his fingers were a little rough.

"San ..." Yeosang started, suddenly remembering that there was still that big topic: what would San do to those kids after they left?

“San left a little earlier today, so he doesn't know what's going on. If San had been here, he probably would have entered the locker room and stabbed them all. No, I'm not kidding. ”Jongho quickly added, not a hint of joke in his tone. “I don't know if it's worth telling him, vice. I'm afraid of what he can do ... ”He concluded, distracting him a little from the situation. “O.k., the boys are leaving the locker room one by one.Two of them are crying, and everyone is leaving with their heads down, they were probably forced to be there. " Yeosang disengaged himself from Jongho for a moment, sniffling and turning his attention to the boys who cowered from the locker room. When the representative left, something unbelievable happened: Seonghwa punched him. Yeosang stifled a shocked exclamation, covering his mouth while Jongho didn't even try to hide his laughter, not guilty.

In the end, Wooyoung walked slowly out of the locker room, maintaining a pose that nothing happened until he saw Seonghwa, Hongjoong, Mingyu and the director gathered at the locker room door, giving up on it and sniffling, his lip cut and his legs limp. He fell apart in a pile of hot tears, clinging to Seonghwa and Hongjoong as if he had nothing more to cling to, admitting that he had never been more terrified in his life.

When Yeosang took the first step to run up to him, hug him and say that everything would be okay, Jongho tightened his grip on his shoulder, keeping him in place.

“I don't know if it's a good idea to crowd around him now, vice. Let's give him space, Wooyoung must be very fragile right now. He will probably be discharged next week for rest. We can visit him, if you want. ” He has barely finished his sentence and Yeosang already nods vigorously, wanting more than anything. “Okay, no problem. I will pick you up tomorrow to go to his house, I think he will enjoy the visit. ” He murmured, so softly and lovingly that it was difficult to relate him to those atrocities that Yeosang heard about the little group he was part of. Jongho even wiped Yeosang's tears, offering him a grease-stained cloth to blow his nose.

(In the end, with the exception of two juniors who were obviously forced to be there, all the boys inside the locker room were expelled and asked to pay a high sum for all the damage they did to the basketball club, school property and Jung Wooyoung, adding up to more than five thousand dollars for each one of them… Seonghwa just smiled, mumbling 'I'm glad it's not me'.)

*

There are some things that need to be highlighted here.

First of all, Kang Yeosang has never ridden a motorcycle in his life. He was afraid of them, and just seeing one scared him a little. Although Elvis adored his dear Halsey, Yeosang had no sympathy for them. For this very reason, his surprise was great when his mother, a good woman, Catholic at heart and easily impressed, knocked on his bedroom door, spying on him before murmuring one:

"There's a boy waiting out there on a motorcycle, he said he came to get you."She explained, and from her tone, she couldn't be more impressed and curious.“Who is he, huh? I think I saw him with a pack of cigarettes in his pocket, is he that boy you were in charge of taking care of? ”

"Yes, he is." Yeosang kindly informed, trying not to look a little desperate at the idea of his mother meeting Jongho. "He's really cool."

“Oh, I see… Take a safe trip, will you? Be careful, anything, call the police ..." She suspiciously advised, and Yeosang almost sighed at that. If Seonghwa was there, coming to pick him up on a motorcycle, he was sure that his mother would be the first to climb on the back, desperate to touch him.

Second thing that needed to be clarified: Jongho was born to wear leather jackets.No one else on Earth should be allowed to use them, only Jongho. Yeosang felt stupid because of that, laughing alone at his bizarre thoughts when he left the house, well dressed for such cold weather.

"What are you laughing about?"Jongho asked the question after seeing him, raising an eyebrow as he approached.

"Nothing." Yeosang shrugged, pretending to be nothing, still laughing.“Will we be welcome at a time like this?It's relatively early, isn't it? ”

"If he's asleep or something, we talk to whoever is there us and make an appointment tomorrow." He decided on his own, placing a hand on Yeosang's shoulder. "By the way, how are you?"

"Better. It was nice to know that he came out of it practically unscathed.I'm taking cookies that I made, too. ”Yeosang added, smiling as he showed Jongho a beautiful package, the fabric thick and full of colored balls. "I hope he'll be fine soon."

"He will stay." Jongho smiled warmly, stroking the boy's shoulders. "Okay, go up there."

"Um ... Aren't we going to put on helmets or something?" Yeosang activated his good-boy side earlier than expected, staring at the skeletal motorcycle with some suspicion, placing the package in one of his coat pockets, surprised to hear Jongho's scandalous laugh. "What's it?"

“No, vice, we will not. Now go up soon, we don't have all day. ” He instructed, not wanting to sound thick, still laughing at Yeosang's face. "You really are ..." Jongho leaned on the handlebars, looking expectantly at the boy, hoping he would only go up at once.

However, seeing Yeosang's desperate expression, Jongho just raised his eyebrows in confusion. "You never rode a motorcycle?" He asked, a sadistic smile automatically growing on his handsome face, looking accomplished when Yeosang shook his head, shyly.“I cannot believe that I will have that honor. Ok, I go up first, and you lean on me to go up, right? Easy, huh? ” He clicked his tongue, gracefully sitting on the intimidating machine, firm hands holding the handlebars, upright posture and enough space for Yeosang to settle.

Like a child, Yeosang climbed up with one leg and managed to hit Jongho's lower back, murmuring apologies as he steadied himself on the vehicle, hands decidedly clamped on Jongho's broad shoulders, his face flushed with shame.The scarf covered part of his mouth, his shrunken posture resembling a child.

"Do this, Vice President ..." Jongho instructed slowly, carefully wrapping Yeosang's thin wrists, removing his hands from his shoulders, only to make him hug him at chest level, placing the vice's hands over his abdomen. "If you hug me like that, you won't fall." He explained over his shoulder, not turning his face to look at him, which Yeosang deeply appreciate, as he did not want to be seen as red as a ruby.

Jongho started the bike, the vehicle was shaking due to the engine, and Yeosang got a little scared, tightening his grip around him, swallowing hard. "It's going to be okay, you don't have to be so scared." Jongho laughed again at Yeosang's face, one foot in the ground to balance the bike. "Oh, you're heavier than I thought."

"Shut up." Yeosang murmured against Jongho's back, closing his eyes slowly, cheeks hot with shame.

"Offending people again, how mean..." Jongho pretended to be offended when he was already on the street, the bike faster than Yeosang had imagined, overtaking a few cars and cutting the wind with an unusual ease to the vice, forcing him to press more against Jongho's hot body, a little shaky as he refused to open his eyes. "Let me guess, you have your eyes closed, right ?!"Jongho spoke loudly about the wind, the sound of the engine and cars and everything else preventing them from being heard easily. "If you open your eyes you won't regret, I promise!"

Yeosang grabbed a piece of Jongho's shirt, waging a battle over whether to trust him or not, biting his cheeks while taking a brief peek. Things passed quickly by them, with pedestrians and cars sharing their field of view, crowded shop windows, neon-filled cafeterias, rolled jeans and polka dot dresses, tap shoes and shops playing a rock premise, black and white televisions playing a Elvis show, getting a cluster of girls on the sidewalks, murmuring how beautiful he was.

Despite remaining shaky, Yeosang peeked over Jongho's shoulder, watching the runway, traffic signs, guards and people with children, couples and elderly people crossing lanes. Yeosang took a look at Jongho's face, realizing only at that moment that he wore sunglasses, protecting his eyes from the strong wind. Yeosang swallowed (again), looking down, soft strands of hair stroking the back of Jongho's neck.

"Better, isn't it?" He smiled, taking advantage of the fact that they were standing at the light to say something to Yeosang without having to shout.

"Hm, yes." Yeosang replied, not noticing Jongho's unbelievably smug smile at that moment, almost as if he were proud of something.

In fact, Yeosang's hands were so attached to Jongho's T-shirt, tugging at his clothes and tightening his grip around him, that it was hard for the Choi not to be proud of provoking that kind of reaction from the vice president.

*

Basically, they punched me and locked me in the cabin. ” Wooyoung explained while eating the cookies that Yeosang had made, sitting on the floor of his room, hugging a teddy bear his size, maybe as old as he is. “I hate to say that, but I cried the whole time I was there, Yeosang. It was horrible."

"I imagine it was, Wooyoungie"Yeosang put his hands on his chest, feeling deeply when he saw him like that. His lips were red, a small bandageon his jaw, his eyes were downcast, a terrible purple on his left cheek. "Were you really dismissed?"

"Yes, I'm going to stay at home for fifteen days, with colleagues bringing me homework and things like that. Ah, how nice of you to come, I was feeling lonely." He whined, lying on his bear too big to be true." San hasn't spoken to me, and Hongjoong said that he doesn't know anything, that he better not know at all."

"It will be difficult for him to know nothing if he sees your face, Seungkwan." Jongho opined from the balcony, looking at his cigarette between his fingers. "He's going to ask what happened, and you're going to have to tell him something."

"He won't believe me if I tell him I fell, will he?" Wooyoung laughed, letting out an ‘ouch’, then immediately stroking his mouth.

"He's not an idiot, so no." Jongho smiled, rotating the small object in his fingers."He's going to kill them all."

"No, he won't ..." Wooyoung played with his bear's ear, looking sad. “He wouldn't do something like that. San is a sweet person, no matter how much it looks like the opposite. ” Wooyoung concluded, looking strangely sad. “I'm going to talk to him, and nothing is going to happen. I was even thinking of talking to him today. ”

"He lives close by, doesn't he?"

"In the front house, vice." Jongho indicated with his finger the house on the other side of the street, covered by a huge and vast tree, already losing its leaves. He had a tire swing tightly tied to one of the strongest branches of the tree, being moved slowly by the strong wind.“I bet he will come today. Ah, I don't know if I will have the courage to face him after all. ”

“Yes, you will, don't worry. If you want, we can stay with you while explaining everything 'to e- oh, Wooyoung, San just left his house, I think he's coming here ... Wow, how stupid, look at that idiot smile ... ” Jongho started to laugh at the happy face of young Choi, his hair sloppy and barefoot. "Hey, San!" Jongho shouted, waving to the younger.

"Jongho!" Wooyoung almost choked on the cookies, pressing the plush against him, jumping up. "What do I do?"

"I don't know!" Yeosang despaired with him, hearing a confused “Jongho?’Coming from San. "Wow, Jongho why did you do that?"

"You will be a little angry, San, so come with peace." Jongho explained, finding the situation amusing. "Yeosang, I think we better go."

"What? No, please help me with this. ”

“Help with what, Wooyoungie? You will have to deal with it sincerely. If I were in San's place, I wouldn't like to have a conversation like this with so many people looking at me. ” He explained, leaning his back on the lovely porch, swallowing slowly.

"Talk about what?" Jongho gasped, jumping when he heard San's voice beside him. He turned quickly, coughing when he saw the boy hanging on the porch, looking not tired at all. San jumped in, wiping dirt off his pants. He looked calm, as if he hadn't just climbed a wall and invaded a room that was ten feet off the ground. “Good afternoon, Mr. Vice President. Don't be so surprised, I've been doing this for a good ten years now. ” He explained, finally looking at Wooyoung. "What the fuck-"

"San!" Wooyoung hurried to find him, hugging him tightly. "Please don't be mad. Something terrible happened, but everything is fine, everything has been resolved, I promise.” Be murmured, glued to him. “If you were there, I doubt you would have done anything. They were too many of them, and you would probably be hurt too. "

Yeosang, inwardly, wanted to see how it ended. However, he barely noticed when Jongho grabbed his elbow, muttering a 'let's go' fast enough, dragging him out of the room.

"They make me nauseous." Jongho grunted, walking down the stairs quickly, still holding Yeosang. "It is best to stay away for now, we will know what happened later."

Yeosang couldn't say any more. He said goodbye to Wooyoung's sisters and parents, apologizing for the intrusion before rushing out of the residence.The smell of tobacco in Jongho was stronger than ever, the cigarette half forgotten on Wooyoung's balcony.Jongho took a deep breath, the day darkening early thanks to the approach of winter, street lights starting to turn on. Yeosang and Jongho leaned against the bike, side by side, breathing slowly.Yeosang blew steam out of his mouth, watching his breath condense and take shape in the warm night air. He smiled to himself, his nose red and his cheeks flushed.

"How long will we be around here?"He asked unpretentiously, warming his hands with his breath.

“You wanted to see him, didn't you?There is nowhere else to go but our homes, and I… ”Jongho cleared his throat, hands tucked into his jacket, glasses hanging from the collar of his shirt, clearly uncomfortable with what he was going to say. "I don't want to take you home just yet."

The planet stopped spinning for a minute, and that was bad, Yeosang knew that. Finding someone who could stop Earth for a few minutes was terrible, and that would even more complicate it if he were a boy like Jongho. He stopped trying to warm his hands, closing them and bringing them close to his mouth, cold lips against equally cold fingers, not knowing how to react to that.

"I-" Yeosang would start saying anything stupid, but Jongho hindered his line of reasoning.

"You are very complicated, Mr. Vice President." He smiled, taking Yeosang's hands and stuffing them in his jacket pockets, in order to warm them next to his. His fingers curled in a way so there was no way to tell the difference between their hands. Jongho had warm hands, giving all his warmth to Yeosang's cold hands without problems, staring at him throughout the process.

Suddenly, all of Kang Yeosang's extensive and beautiful vocabulary melted down to Choi Jongho. It was all he could think, thoughts and ideologies evaporating from his brilliant brain, and there was no more Stanford, future plans or jobs. There were no more obligations, and A + notes. There was only Jongho, his warm hands and beautiful eyes, staring at him as if he wanted to reach his soul.

Surprisingly, that was enough.

*

The trees no longer swayed, all the leaves already fallen, stuffed in large garbage bags, kept in the biology laboratories, ready to return to nature in the form of compost, all coordinated by the Student Council. At the winter time of the year, Seonghwa worked as a convict, either collecting the leaves or managing the projects for the formation of warmer winters for the homeless.This project took place long before they entered high school, continuing splendidly after Seonghwa assumed the presidency in his first year.

It was strange to see a freshman taking the position of president of something, but his petulance and intelligence fought any third-year Neanderthal. He was a machine, mean and certainly manipulative, but an extremely good person. Projects for the winter included mass production of scarves, which were hung in busy urban centers with 'take it if you need it'. The students donated food, and old clothes that they would no longer use, also helping to produce soups on specific days. Usually, the school at these events was crowded, homeless people sheltering in the place to pick up coats and soups. Everything was perfectly supervised, and they never received any complaints.

Of course, nothing was mandatory, but the vast majority loved to participate.The day of the event was scheduled for December 1st, ten the other for the twenty-third. In January, February and March there would also be specific days, but everything was arranged later.

"I'm remembering that on the twenty-second now an Elvis film is being released." Hongjoong reported with unpretentiousness, reading a brochure on winter programming. "Oh, it's also Jihoon's birthday."

"Which movie?" Yunho asked after sipping his soda, which was surprising, since Yeosang swore it was some kind of alcohol. “In fact, I miss Jihoon sometimes. He could be very scary. ”He admitted, laughing after saying.

"Jihoon?" Yeosang forced his brain to remember the boy, handing Mingi a leaflet as well. "That prodigy kid who moved to a music school in Los Angeles?"

"Himself." Mingi nodded, putting his sunglasses on his head, taking a look at the brochure.

"Was he also one of you?" Yeosang joked, handing two leaflets to San, implying that he was supposed to hand one to Wooyoung.

"One of you?" Hongjoong started to laugh, taking a cigarette from his pack in the back pocket of his pants. "Why are you talking as if we are a different species?"

"Sorry, aren't you?" Yeosang continued to play, hurrying to get the evil object out of Kim's mouth, preventing him from even picking up a lighter. "No cigarettes on the school premises, Hongjoong."

"Okay, okay, vice president." Hongjoong smiled, nothing offended. “Do you even intend to attend? I really want to see it at the premiere. ”

"What day of the week is it?" Yeosang pondered, because, depending, he might even go.

"Wednesday." Mingi soon reported, the leaflet folded and tucked away in his backpack.

“Maybe I can't do it, usually these things are late. But I'll see if I can get a break on Thursday. ”

"We can go on Friday,” Yeosang was startled when he came face to face with Jongho, who seemed serious when saying this to him. Choi had just returned from the school cafeteria with a natural juice in hand, looking too serious for anyone who was playing. "Vice. ”

"I see that I will need to go alone at the premiere ..." Hongjoong shook his head, disappointed.

"We can go." Mingi offered, pointing at him and Yunho. Hongjoong broke into a proud father's smile by hitting their hand. "But we have no money, so it would be good if you paid for us. "

"The older ones do that, is the right thing to do." Yunho agreed, not ashamed of his wooden face.

"Okay, we can go on Friday ..." Yeosang replied after a while, a little mbarrassed after so many things playing with his head.

“There's an interesting drive in here, you know? So I'll probably pick you up by car. It's a lot cheaper, too. ” Jongho added, spreading the idea to the other boys as if it were no big deal.

“Good idea, Jongho! We will share our precious, too. Nothing more fair, right?We did it together. ” Kim agreed at first, excited by the idea, totally ignoring Mingi and Yunho, who insisted that Hongjoong pay for them.

(Yeosang was dying ... Gently.)

*

"Yeah, he seems interested in you." Seonghwa concluded, rinsing his mouth after brushing his teeth in the bathroom of the Council room.

"Do not say that please." Yeosang rolled over on the couch, almost dying inside.“What the fuck is this, Seonghwa. Things are very strange. ”

"I stopped to think one of these days, when I had to spend the night here at school, and honestly? They're not that strange. I eliminated the 'boys' factor and changed it to 'people', and there was nothing wrong with both of you ... Uh, you know ... "He murmured, doing his best to get the idea completely absorbed by his head." Sorry, take what I said. It's still strange, but less strange. "

"Is there something wrong with me?"Yeosang sank down on the sofa, murmuring it, a little afraid. "I can't be sick, can I?"

“I don't believe it is a disease, Yeosang. Honestly, it's ridiculous. It cannot be a disease. A sick person is sick, lifeless and tired, and I have never seen you so alive before. And fuck it if it's really like that, you're happy, aren't you? ” Seonghwa approached the sofa, looking at it over the upholstery. “You are much more intelligent than that, Yeosang. So, don't be an idiot and just accept that you're liking another boy, and there's no problem with that. The only impasse is that no one stopped to look at things that way, so you better not talk about it in public, so that no asshole takes an abusive pose. ” He threw it all in the face of his best friend with no brakes on his tongue, sincere and raw. "Now, stop laying around and get back to work, there are more important things to discuss."

"For example?"

“Who will be your date at the ball? I accepted anyone, even if I barely remember her name. ” He admitted, then laughed. Seonghwa sat on the armchair behind the table, letting out a groan of satisfaction as he finally rested. “I just need to be there, and I've already made it very clear to her. I think it is interesting for you to find someone, because it is clear that you will win as King, so if you go alone, it will seem that you went there just to take your crown and leave. ” He murmured, sinking into the chair. "Why don't you take ..."

"Dont sat it." Yeosang asked from the couch, laughing alone.

“I am kidding, although it is a good idea.Our management does not consider two people of the same sex as a 'couple'."Seonghwa grunted from his place.Then he stopped, looking surprised.He sat down, stroking his chin."It's a good thing that the Chairman of the Board is the only one who can renew the administrative rules, isn't he?" He smiled, getting up. “Thankfully, the president is a good, sensible and intelligent person. If I weren't myself, I would probably fall in love. ”

“Wow, how narcissistic you are, SeonghwaWhy don't you take yourself to the dance, huh? ” Yeosang suggested sarcastically, rolling back on the couch when Seonghwawinked at him, hurrying to fix the damn administrative rules. "He's crazy ..." Yeosang whispered to himself, not wanting to see what kind of repercussion this news would have for the school. Would parents come to complain? Would Seonghwa close the doors in their faces, as he always did?

He smiled, thinking they were in a kind of dangerous place.

*

''Are you going out again? ” Yeosang's mother asked, putting a pie in the oven, gloves with polka dots protecting her from the heat.

"Yes, I will see an Elvis movie." He explained, tying his shoelaces, a tight scarf around his neck, a thick coat and warm clothes preventing him from suffering from the temperature drop.

"Hmm I'm jealous..." She pretended a sad voice, then laughed. “But have fun, huh? Is it with Seonghwa? ” When Joshua quietly denied it, she stroked his chin. "Is it with that young man on the bike?"

“Yes, he's name is Jongho, the boy that I am giving additional classes to. He's really cool, mom. Who knows, I may not call hmi here to meet you. ” Where did that come from?

As soon as Yeosang finished speaking, an infernal engine noise invaded the kitchen. His mother quickly peeked through the curtains, shocked to see a car falling apart, with no windows on the windows and a smoking driver.

"Yeosang, are you going on this ..." She turned to see her son, realizing too late that he had already left and hurried to the front door.

"You really should stop smoking when you're at my door." Yeosang said in despair, opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat with difficulty, wondering about that old machine without glasses.

"You must be just like your mother." He laughed, tapping his cigarette in an ashtray on the dashboard, starting that traveling junkyard, the sound almost harrowing.

"If she sees you smoking again, she probably won't like the idea of me hanging out with you at all."

"Are you worried that you won't be able to see me anymore?" Jongho turned to look at him, with no hint of playfulness in his tone or expression. Yeosang swerved quickly, blinking as he looked at his neighborhood houses.

"People are already starting to decorate their houses ... Have you started, too?"He asked, without looking at him.

"I don't celebrate Christmas."

"Oh, I understand. Your family is korean, right? ”

“It's kind of complicated… My father came from a Korean background, but he was naturalized as an American. My mother is Korean, however. ” He explained, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "I think you would like my dad."

"Are you like him?" Yeosang asked innocently, but caught the double meaning too late, given the context.

"Oh, I see ... If he is like me, then you would like him, because we look alike, right?" Now, there was that annoying and damn playful tone. Yeosang almost jumped out of the moving car, wanting to hang himself with his seat belt ... In this case, the car had no seat belt, but he could reveal it. "Isn't that a confession of love, Yeosang?"

"Don't be ridiculous ..." Yeosang sank down on the bench, arms crossed and even red ears.

“Will you never tell me to fuck off? Ah, I'm getting tired of trying to get some bad words out of that Christian mouth. ”

"Do you just piss me off to make me swear?" Yeosang smiled, his shoulders lifting a little, curled up like a puppy on the comfortable bench. "You don't have many ambitions, do you?"

"If you say 'fuck' once, I'll tell you my ambitions." In that regard, Yeosang thought he was talking to Seonghwa: two damn manipulators.

"Okay, your ambitions shouldn't be that interesting." He soon cut the evil in the bud, hearing an amused laugh from Jongho.

"The worst part is that you are right."

*

After turning on the radio and realizing that at least that part was intact, they were hugged by Beatles to the drive in cinema. The two paid for their tickets, easily finding a little place until it was good, at the bottom of the first row.Jongho yawned, looking at the screen and those dozens of cars, putting his hands behind his head and sliding a little on the seat, getting comfortable before the movie started.

"What is this movie about?” Choi asked, looking sleepy.

“It's a comedy with Elvis. He finished his military service, and returns home to Honolulu, and he just wants to have fun and surf, but his father forces him to get a job. ” Yeosang explained, taking a look at the other vehicles. Most were as finished as theirs, almost all of them young lovers.

"I see, so any shit is worth it as long as it's played by Elvis." He grunted, looking really sleepy.

"If you don't like the movie and don't even know how to stay up watching it, then why did you come?" Yeosang smiled, amused by Choi's lack of interest.

"Because you wanted to come." He answered objectively, simplistically.

Ah.

Yeosang pressed against his chest, swallowing hard as he felt his heart pounding like crazy. Damn, that was no longer healthy. He didn't know what else to say, or if he should say anything at all,he remained quiet on the bench, breathing hard as he looked at the off-screen. At seven-fifty, as expected, a light went on on the screen, and Yeosang could hear exclamations of enthusiasm from the people filling the cars. Jongho, at his side, also prepared himself, willing to see the film, since he had already paid for his ticket.

The big problem with not having windows in the car was that they were exposed to any stronger wind, making the place a real block of ice. The couples in the other vehicles looked comfortable, some girls with their heads lying on their partner's shoulders, other couples not even paying attention to the film, tucked in the back seat and leaving for the finals.

Yeosang didn't know what was so wrong. The script so far was funny, Elvis was great, and so were all the other characters, but he couldn't really focus on the film. Even Jongho laughed a few times, but he didn't even get it when it was a joke. All he could pay attention to was the boy beside him, with an imposing presence and a sickening aura.He felt cold inside, sweating and terribly affected and aware of every detail that Jongho did, every sigh, yawn or hand movement. Yeosang would, in fact, vomit at any moment, his static and trembling state affecting his biological functions.

"You're not paying attention, are you?"Jongho's voice spread across the car, low and pleasant to be heard. Yeosang was startled, jumping in his seat, looking reflexively at Choi's smug face.“I'm sure you're not. There have been several jokes, and you have not laugh at any of them." He was too focused on moving his fingers nervously on his lap "Vice, haven't we already passed the stage of being uncomfortable next to each other? ” He stretched an arm over the upholstery, his fingers almost touching Yeosang's soft strands of hair. “Or is there another reason? Something you are ashamed to tell me? ”

"There's nothing…” Yeosang murmured, incredibly affected.

"It doesn't seem like nothing to me." Jongho approached him, the seat making a noise due to the weight moving. Yeosang reflexively moved away, his head touching the spot where the belt should have been, leaning against the acidic material of the ‘skeleton’ of the car. "What's the matter, am I scaring you?"

"No."

"Then why are you moving away?"Jongho pressed further, aware that he would push him to the limit if he continued. If the interior of the car had been cold before, now it looked like hell. Jongho saw when Yeosang acquired a strong shade of red in his ears, his face expressionless, but his conflicting and bubbling iris. "Vice, believe it or not, but there is an ambition of mine that has involved you since the moment we met." He murmured, almost as if he didn't want anyone else to hear them. Elvis was saying something important to the protagonist at that moment, but neither of them paid attention to the screen.

"Jongho, I don't-" He started, frightened, not knowing how to start that."It's not that I'm afraid of you, I just ..."

"Are you afraid of how you feel about me?" He completed for him, scaring Yeosang. "I know it's scary, because I feel the same way." Jongho remained serious all the time, leaning over and pressing his left hand on one of Yeosang's thighs.The boy pressed his knees together, a delicious wave traveling through his body, dry throat and lips, not knowing where to place his hands. “I know how it is, Yeosang. At any moment, they can try to hit us because we walk side by side, because we are in this car together.But that doesn't stop me from wanting to kiss you until I get some cursing from you. ” Jongho moved his fingers in circles over Yeosang's thigh, pressing the stiff muscle with a little force, loving how soft and delicate he was to touch."I always wanted to touch you."

Yeosang seemed to be immersed in a strange dream, the touches so far unimaginable. He felt anesthetized, looking longingly at Jongho's patient and serious face, which had no trace of a joke.

“Sorry, I feel like I'm scaring you.You don't have to say anything at all. ”Jongho murmured, slowly moving away, and a part of Yeosangwanted to shout at him to continue doing that, but his body was in a state of shock, static and completely astonished. “However, I would be happy to know what you are feeling. I think I should take you home now. ”

The worst part of it is that Yeosang was unable to speak. He remained silent, in a state of incomprehensible shock, his heart was racing and his hands were trembling, despite wanting very much to say something, anything. It was the first time he had experienced something like this, a confrontation so direct and objective in the way he felt, the feeling so exotic and breathtaking, fully reciprocal. A terrible itch hit the walls of his stomach, and even Elvis Presley couldn't help him at that moment.When the car parked in front of his house, it was as if he had been thinking for too long, eyes agonized and blurry, not knowing what to do.

"Yeosang ... You're okay?" The vice president blinked slowly, swallowing hard as he refused to look at him."O.k., you don't even want to look at me." A giggle that aimed to disguise embarrassment filled the air around them, leaving Yeosang even more guilty.''I know that asking you to forget all of this won't work, so ... Good night, Yeosang." He concluded, refusing to touch the subject again. There was a click, and the doors unlocked. Like a robot, Kang Yeosang got out of the car, hugging himself, breathing hard and realizing that Jongho waited for him to enter the house to start the car.

It really hurt.

*

  
When Yeosang had been invited to the director's office the following Monday, he had never expected to leave with tears in his eyes.

“Yeosang, sit here for a minute. I called you here to inform you that you have been released from your task as Choi Jongho's tutor. ” He informed, happy and smiling, clapping two dry palms, as if talking to a four-year-old boy. “The man himself came to talk to me, said that he was sorry for his past actions as a student, and promised that he would be able to move forward from here on without anyone's help, and that your help influenced him a lot. In fact, I see it here, and in fact, he has become a great student! Absences decreased ridiculously, and his grades in subjects where he had the most difficulty increased. The teachers were talking about him, you know? Thanks for your hard work, you are an excellent example, just as I predicted! ”

Yeosang, again, felt anesthetized. He just nodded, leaving without speaking, looking lost and terribly confused.Jongho probably did that to save him from being uncomfortable, deciding to simply dismiss him from that task.Frankly, he couldn't say whether that was a good decision or not. Despite burning, was staying away really the best option? He didn't want to talk to anyone about it, not even Seonghwa or Wooyoung, he did not feel entitled to expose Jongho's feelings to anyone.

Slowly, day after day, the contact went from strange to null. The event days for a warmer winter passed without a hitch, with Yeosang participating in all of them to cool his head. He had his Christmas dinner, called Seonghwa, wishing him a great new year, and decided to accept a roommate's request to be his company at the prom, making it clear that he wouldn't have much time to dance with her, having to be busy with more bureaucratic issues. She laughed and agreed, saying that she was more concerned with getting drunk enough to forget her own name.

His letter with Stanford's reply would arrive any minute, the test being easier than he thought it would be, going strangely too well. He felt confident, and sometimes he forgot that he did not sleep well at night because of anxiety, but because of a question that had a first and last name.

Yeosang was no longer talking to the boys of one of the ‘gangs’ at the school.They showed up with a new car, and although curious to ask what it was about, he didn't have the same intimacy to approach anymore. Slowly, the shyness and intimidation related to them returned, as if nothing had happened between them before. Jongho looked normal, despite having a new jacket, bigger and apparently more comfortable - probably it was a Christmas present, but he couldn't ask any more, anyway.

"I was wondering who I'm going to pass the presidency to this year. ” Park Seonghwa decided to start a conversation with Yeosang, who seemed distant, writing something in some report. “Who do you think you should pass on to? I was thinking about one of the juniors on the sports wing. ”

"Hm, it's a good one." Yeosang grunted, pretending to understand what he was saying. Despite the elections being held democratically among Council members, it was still a good attempt by Seonghwa to see if Yeosang was paying attention.

"I was also thinking about going to the prom in a dress." He continued, drumming on the table with some incredulity.

"Yes." Seonghwa replied without even paying attention, only realizing that it was not an issue.

"Wow, are you really crazy ..." Seonghwa smacked his tongue, crossing his arms."Choi Jongho."

Yeosang blinked, slowly lifting his head, facing an angry president.

"You are ridiculous. Something happened, and you didn't even tell me. What a great friend, Yeosang. ”

"No, that's not it ..." Yeosangrubbed his face, letting out a grunt and stuffing his face into the report. "Seonghwa, everything went wrong ... I don't know what to do."

“Start from the beginning. What happened? Please, I really want to know! I noticed that you haven't been with that freak troupe anymore, but I thought you were just busy, but it turned out that you had a fight with Jongho, right? ” He said it all too quickly, excited by the idea.

"It wasn't a fight ..." He murmured, his lips bitten as they turned into a tearful beak. “It turned out that… I don't know, I just froze, I didn't know what to say.He said he knew what I felt, and that he felt the same, but I was scared, because it was a sudden approach, you know? ”He handed over all his letters, playing with his fingers. “I was cornered with him telling me these things about what I feel, that I don't even know for sure. I was shocked, and was unable to answer anything. In the end, he talked to the director and asked him to excuse me from the task of helping him with the materials. ”

"Oh, I understand ... ” Seonghwa stretched out his hands, stroking Yeosang's nervous fingers. “Hey, it's okay. It is not simple to be interested in another boy, Yeosang, you did nothing wrong. However, if I know you, you probably stayed up all night thinking about it, right? I'm sure you've come to some conclusion, so why don't you tell him honestly? You know, we don't have much time here at this school. We won't see anyone else every day, and we won't even see each other as often, you know I'm going to Harvard. ” He smiled at the end, pretending to be confident enough. "If you have something to say, you better say it now."

"Seonghwa, I don't know if I can do it ..."

"Yes, you can. You are even better than him, you know? At least you have a perfect sense of what he feels, imagine Jongho? He is between the cross and the sword, knowing nothing about you. Now thinking about it, I'm sorry for him, not for you. ”

"Thanks." Yeosang grunted sarcastically, not satisfied with that.

"I'm being honest. Just say what you have to say. Do not think about the after, because there is always a way ‘for things to come. What you can't do is fix past regrets, Yeosang, and I'd rather make plans that will fail than never make plans. I'm sure you will hate yourself for the rest of your life if you let him slip through your fingers, without ever doing anything to stop it. ”

Seonghwa was right (as always).

He needed to do something, even if he was terrified of the consequences. Dealing with himself was complicated, but he had already accepted an undeniable truth: he was in love with Choi Jongho, and now he had to be said to the boy in question, period.

However, he had to fix things slowly, approaching as he had done the first time. This time, he didn't need anyone's help. Alone, he went in search of the first-year boys, meeting them in a somewhat aggressive basketball game, despite not being worth anything.

Wooyoung jumped, throwing the ball with agility, missing by very little.San recovered the ball, laughing like a mischievous boy, strands of hair glued to his face.

“I don't understand, aren't you on the basketball team? Missing simple shots, Wooyoungie ... ”He started to irritate him, hitting the ball against the floor of the court, breathing a little badly.

"I am not a machine, San." He laughed, hands resting on his hips, clearly exhausted. "Woah, you really tired me ... What a stamina, honestly ..."

“And look, we're talking about basketball, huh? If you want, I can show you other things where I have twice as much energy. ” He smiled asshole, and despite being all sweaty and sticky, he remained incredibly attractive.

Wooyoung pressed his abdomen, laughing like crazy at the absurd phrase of his neighbor neighbor.

"Of course, you have to make up for something else, right?" Wooyoung raised a hand, bringing his index and thumb closer, indicating the size of a certain thing ...

The boys and girls who watched the little game almost threw themselves on the floor with laughter, shouting for San to immediately raise the white flag and never step on a court again. Yeosang even smothered a laugh, still shocked by the language Wooyoung had, each answer on the tip of his tongue.

San looked shocked, he pressed the inner part of his cheek with his tongue, not sure if killing him now was a good option.

"You really don't have any manners, Wooyoung ..." He dropped the ball, chasing the boy. However, poor Wooyoung didn't have the energy to run, so he let himself be captured by his friend's sweaty arms, laughing when the two fell to the ground, rolling across the icy court, almost losing their breath.

"You lost your composure first, so I won!" He decreed, trying futilely to get out of San's grip. As the two rolled across the floor, Wooyoung was able to see a person in whom there had been no significant time. San stopped, waving excitedly to Yeosang. “Yeosang! It's been awhile!" Despite being pinned to the ground, in a somewhat confused situation, he did not avoid sympathy.He asked for San's help to get up, using the last strength on his feet to get to his feet, walking slowly towards the vice president. "Why did you disappeared?"He asked naively, totally unaware of what actually happened.

Yeosang looked at San, perhaps for any sign that he knew about anything, but there was nothing. Like Yeosang, Jongho decided to keep it a secret.

"Jongho and I had a little argument, but I intend to apologize to him.” He explained everything very briefly, smiling with Wooyoung's ‘aww don’t say this’ expression, who seemed to feel that. “San, do you have an idea of his schedule this week?”

"Hmmm Yeo, depending on Hansol is a little risky ..." Wooyoung murmured that just to irritate poor San, who almost threw him to the ground. "I'm just kidding!"

“Yeosang, I know he has some crazy and important tests tomorrow. Something related to a math test and the view of a physics test that will tell you if he will graduate or not this year ... ”He summed it up, scratching his chin, trying to see if it is something like that. “Yeah, I think this is it. He leaves later, too. ”

"I remember him talking about it, too. ”Wooyoung confirmed things, still leaning on San's shoulders, with no strength in his legs. “By the way, stopping to think about it… He was pretty down lately, isn't he? I think it's because of the two of you fighting. ”

Yeosang absorbed everything, efficiently adding things to his skull, consenting to each added information.

"O.k., you saved me." He smiled, really grateful. "I owe you one, I think ..."

“Oh, don't even stress about it, Yeo, I already told you that you can count on me for anything. ” Wooyoung bowed his head, sweet and caring.

"Technically, I talked about the schedule-” San was going to say something, but he was silenced by a little hand from Wooyoung, who continued to smile as if San hadn't said anything.

*

There were certain things that depended on nothing but courage, Yeosang learned that day. He was leaning against the wall by the door to room ten, looking at his own feet, a fluffy bundle of white polka dots curled around his fingers. He greeted everyone who left the room, smiling warmly at them, but that did not prevent him from having a small heart attack on behalf of each person, thinking that this time it would be Jongho.

And when it was finally him, not a single 'hi' escaped his parted lips. Honestly, Yeosang was more handsome than usual that day. There was no reason why, he just was, and that was enough for Jongho to barely manage to close the door right after he left the room.

"How was it?" Yeosang hurried to say, anxious about the possibilities, his breath turning to steam from the cold. Jongho looked around, looking for someone else from the Council, but only the two were there, Joshua was there, alone, waiting for him.

"Weird."

"What?"

"Nothing ..." Jongho shook his head, scratching the back of his neck before handing the proof sheet to the deputy with trembling fingers. Yeosang smiled as he looked at the result, taking great pride in it.“It's a beautiful A, Jongho. My sincere congratulations. ” Yeosang continued to smile, handing Jongho his package. He gently picked up the unknown object, looking suspiciously at the deputy. "They are cookies." He informed, smiling shortly after saying that. “I didn't know what grade you were going to get, so I made cookies in the shape of various letters, including F. Because, you know, I would be here to support you regardless of your grade. They are chocolate, by the way. ” He reported as Jongho carefully opened the package, revealing several chocolate cookies with cute letter shapes, including more and less. Jongho smiled, really touched. "Im sorry."

The boy looked up, now confused.

  
"Why are you apologizing?"

  
"I caused you great discomfort, I know."Yeosang explained, trying to hold on.“I'm sorry, I didn't want to keep quiet for so long, I was just… confused. Sorry, I treated you very badly, I know. ”

“You don't have to apologize for that, Yeosang. I understand perfectly, I know it must have been confusing, and I scared you, anyway. I'm supposed to be apologizing, really. I touched you without your permission, said uncomfortable things that made you sick, and I understand if you don't want to be my friend anymore. ”

"Jongho." Yeosang took a step closer to the boy, placing one of his hands on one of the stiff biceps, watching him closely. “I feel the same way as you do. I don't want to just be your friend. ” He decreed, all intentions implicit in that little sentence. “I know that we will have to keep it a secret, and I don't care about that, to be honest. I really don't care. ”

Something hit hard inside Choi Jongho. He remained static, looking at that beautiful creature with wide eyes, unable to say anything. Anyway, they were interrupted by a poor student who left the room, confused and frightened by those two, taking a step back so surprised to find them there. The two walked away too, perhaps equally frightened, clearing their throat and trying to disguise anything, Yeosang greeting him when he heard a suspicious 'hello, vice ...'.

Jongho pressed the cookies against his chest, both watching the young boy walk quickly down the school corridor, a little confused about what to do next. Jongho ate a chocolate B, looking at Yeosang suddenly.

"I want to meet your mother." He declared it as if it was no big deal, still chewing on little B.

"What?" Jongho almost choked on his spit, skeptical.

“I want to meet your old lady. Talk to her, get to know her. ” He clarified, laughing at Yeosang's face. "Is it such an absurd idea?"

"Actually, it's not ... Uh, right, we can go, I think ..."

*

Yeosang's mother was not very prepared for that meeting, so she was deeply shocked to find that handsome, smiling and surprisingly friendly boy. Jongho ended up talking to her too long, revealing things that even Yeosang didn't know, such as the fact that his father had recently returned from the war, forever injured. He had returned just the week that Yeosang was tasked with teaching him something, ending up staying a week at home to take care of and adapt to his old man's new care.

"I bet he was desperate, looking for me everywhere, thinking that I disappeared during the week." He smiled, raising a hand to stroke Yeosang's neck. “And when I came back, Santhrew that bomb at me, the deputy wanted to put some content in my brain. How could I refuse? ”

"I wish your family the best, Jongho." Yeosang's mother sniffed, feeling it too much. “It's so late, sleep here today, will you? I understand that it is difficult, but I am happy that my son does well for you.”

"Of course. Thank you very much, I appreciate the hospitality. ” He smiled, gallant enough to melt poor Mrs. Kang.

"Why do I feel like you were planning this?" Yeosang grunted, throwing a blanket over the mattress stretched beside his bed.

"It must be because I was." Jongho admitted, laughing like a child. "I bet she was just like you, so I played my best cards." He explained, removing his upper garments, leaving his stiff chest exposed. Yeosang looked away, that situation never crossed his mind."Did you miss me, Mr. Vice President?" Jongho's voice dropped two tones quickly, approaching Yeosang with the worst of intentions. "Because I missed you." He murmured, next to the boy's ear.

Yeosang felt his legs melt, involuntarily making a strange sound when Jongho kissed the back of his neck, hands clinging to the boy's thin waist, pulling him against him; Jongho covered his mouth, the room lit only by the light outside hiding how red he was. He felt something strong pressed against his lower back, the friction hurting his psychological. It didn't take long to let out a small sigh when Choi's hand trailed over his thighs, almost touching a spot that would be long in burning.

Then, without any kindness, Jongho turned Yeosang's face as he held his neck, kissing him as if it were the last time he could kiss him. Yeosang groaned desperately between the kiss, his sweet, soft voice taking a wild form as Jongho stroked him over his less-asleep member, rubbing himself behind him as well, stimulating a strange spot between his buttocks.

Yeosang had never felt anything like that before. He clung to Jongho, wanting to feel some part of his skin, any one, between his fingers, while his legs slowly gave way.

"Was it your first?" Jongho murmured after walking away from him, kissing him again on the back of the neck, continuing to stimulate him in many places. Yeosang made a sound that resembled a 'yes', making Jongho smile."I see that somehow, I will be able to have some of your first times." A smug smile remained on his lips as he said this, taking him slowly to the bed. "It's all right?" Jongho wanted to make sure he wasn't the only one to feel something, because if it wasn't all right, he would stop immediately.

“Yes… Ah, I feel weak." Yeosang admitted to lying on the bed, his breathing heavy and difficult, his whole body sensitive. Jongho unbuttoned his shirt, caressing the skin under it tenderly, curious fingers filled with devotion strolling across the lovely soft skin, caressing points where Yeosang barely imagined they could cause such a whirl. He squirmed, knees together to try to deal with that sizzling pleasure, gasps and sighs filling the room, his still nature not changing in bed.

"Spread your legs, Yeosang," Jongho instructed, kissing one of his knees before his request was granted, being able to easily see the bulge between the boy's legs. Yeosang was trembling, his legs barely supporting themselves, his head resting on his pillow, his hands resting on his abdomen. "Don't be tense, we won't go over that today." Jongho smiled, touching the zipper on Yeosang's pants. "Among all the things I want to provide you with, pain is not included." He summarized, gently grabbing the boy's member. Yeosang bit his lip, a melted moan escaping, directly affecting Jongho. "Stay calm, take a deep breath ..." He instructed, wanting to have him calm for that. Jongho approached the bed, and with an agility unknown to Yeosang, grabbed the members of the two, rubbing them together and slowly, allowing himself to feel Yeosang, and allowing Yeosang to feel him.

Everything was so intense, so warm and gentle, that Yeosang felt lost. Jongho looked at him with scorching desire, his gaze burning him alive as he masturbated together, lasting too long for the situation. Yeosang compressed his knees, grabbing Jongho's arm before pressing his eyes, panting too fast, immersed in raw and intense desire, his thighs trembling.

"You are so fucking beautiful, Yeosang ..." Jongho had already lost himself, the movement becoming frantic as he felt them both pulsing between his fingers, wanting more than anything to see his expression when he reached the climax. He needed to see that marvelous expression on his face, he needed to carve it forever in his brain, but only to disturb him about it forever.

Yeosang came out with a curse, his body shaking all over, hands stuck in sheets, parted lips and a flushed face. Of course, with a vision like that, it didn't take long for Jongho to make a guttural sound, moving away from Yeosang so as not to get him dirty.

After a few seconds of silence, wanting to normalize breaths, Jongho laughed, stroking the vice president's delicate waist.

"So you do know how to curse, huh?"

*

Loud music could be heard from any corner of the vast hall. Couples danced and jumped together in the center of the dance floor, laughing and having enough fun, dressed in dresses and black shoes running around the room.The high rock was scary for those who walked outside the hall, but it was even low for those who couldn't stop dancing.

Although more handsome than ever, Park Seonghwa was very stressed.The drink was running out, and nothing from the supplier to contact him to communicate whether it was coming or not.

"Seonghwa, your hair will fall out if you get that stressed out." Yeosang commented, grabbing himself a little champagne punch, sipping before shaking his body awkwardly to the rhythm of the music, looking at all those sweating boys and girls, sticky bodies when moving together.

"Crap, I don't know if I get mad at these suppliers or these filthy, drunk kids!"He shouted, indeed disgusted.“Damn drunks! Why did you drink so much punch ?! ”

Yeosang burst into laughter, amused by his friend's revolt.

"Calm down, everything will work out."He assured her, still laughing. “And they drank punch because it is tasty, simple. Here, have a drink. ” He offered, but Seonghwa denied it, almost on fire from being so stressed. "Aren't you really going to enjoy the party?"

“I will only enjoy it if everything is spotless, Yeosang. Not until then. ” He grunted, looking around the room. "Aren't the lights too bright?"

  
"I think not." Yeosang murmured, sipping more punch. “I don't think it will make a difference if the drink runs out, Seonghwa They don't care, the party will continue. ” 

Seonghwa patted his chest, as if telling himself to calm down. He took a deep breath, but his peace of mind ended early.

"Is Wooyoung drunk or is it just me?"He stuck his head out, looking at the young man talking by the elbows to some third-year girls. “That's why I hate to bring freshmen to these parties.It's not for minors to get drunk, Yeosang.”

"Hm, I don’t think it will make a difference if you say something to him....Anyway, he’s with San , so nothing will happen.”

Despite being juniors, the two wanted to attend the party, so Yeosang gave them invitations. He knew well how it would end, but it was even better for them both to go, since it was the last time he would see them at that school. In fact, Yeosang had received a letter of welcome to Stanford. Along with it, a news that almost made him tremble:  
  
“Yeosang, you knew that I live two miles from Stanford, right? Depending on where you live, we can see each other every day. ” Jongho had said it simply, eating while he spoke, almost as if there was nothing much in it. "Anyway, I'm going to work nearby, so we can combine business with pleasure and you can live in my house." Not that Yeosang's house was far from college, either, but that plan didn't look bad when he heard it.

"Yeosang!" Wooyoung ran to him when she saw him, looking tearful, a glass of punch in hand. "Yeo, you're leaving!" He hugged the vice tightly, resting his head on the boy's collarbone. "I'm going to miss you ..." he murmured, holding him close. Yeosang smiled, also hugging him, taking care not to spill any drink on the boy's clothes. '' Oh, don't worry, we will see each other a lot, Wooyoungie. You should enjoy it today, right? ” He rubbed Wooyoung's back carefully, laughing at his situation. San appeared shortly thereafter, a little disheveled and breathless, leaning on his knees when he met Wooyoung.

"You just disappeared, you nut!"San scolded his friend, pinching his ear.“You are going to smear Yeosang with drool, Wooyoung! If you don't know how to drink, then don't drink. ” He grunted, pulling Wooyoung close to him, his suits quite similar, almost matching.

"San, when the king and queen are being announced, can I take the queen's crown?" Wooyoung asked with heavy eyes, hugging his friend's strong body.Wooyoung did not understand why San started to laugh outrageously, trying to slap him blindly.

"Speaking of which, it's almost half past eight ... The awards will start soon, and you will be here to receive them, Yeosang!" Seonghwa pulled on his friend's collar, who almost escaped that."You won't run away!"

"I don't want to receive this, Seonghwa ..." Yeosang murmured, looking at his punch. "It doesn't make any sense to me, you know that."

"Shut up, you will." Obviously stressed, Seonghwa spared no words, pulling Yeosang by the elbow. "I will announce it to the events committee, and you will go up, take your crown, take some pictures and that's it." He grunted, leaving the boy close to the stage.

Yeosang looked around, alone among so many festive people, not avoiding feeling a little lonely, despite being surrounded by people. Yeosang was stunning, his handsome, perfect-fitting suit looking like it was made for him to wear, the strands straightened without any imperfections,it was obvious that he would be the king, and that was too irritating.

"Nervous to get your crown?" Yeosang froze in place, surprised at the voice whispered against his ear. He turned with a smile, feeling Jongjo's hands on his shoulders. "Don't be nervous, everything will be fine."

"I don't want to take that crown."Yeosang admitted, leaning on Jongho's chest, his head resting on his shoulder."I think I'm going to run." He laughed, amused by the very idea.

"Oh.” Jongho avoided hugging him in public, but he still touched his elbows, keeping him close. "What a good idea."

"What?" Yeosang smiled, coerced, since he didn't want it anyway. "Did you find it a good idea?"

"A great idea. But, let's wait them announce at least the queen ... And let's see if you really will be the king. ”Jongho smiled, looking at the stage being slowly set up. "And then, if you want, we can escape." He laughed, the idea funny. "Look, the monarch running away with a mere servant."

As expected, the music stopped slowly, and two taps on the microphone caught the attention of energized young people.Still smiling, everyone looked at the stage, where Seonghwa smiled with affection, pretending not to be totally stressed.

  
“Good night, dear students. Now, let's interrupt our music to announce the King and Queen of the 1962 senior prom. ” He said it easily, clapping his hands together with all the other students. “After more than six months of voting, and I know it was a complicated vote for everyone, we are finally done! First, let's announce the Queen! ” He completed with animation, listening to anxious whistles from everyone in the hall. “With over two thousand votes, our dearest judo club veteran-” even before announcing his name, people were already shouting, totally excited, pushing the girl forward. "Annie!" Seonghwa intimately called the girl, lending a hand to help her up the stairs to the stage.

The girl smiled, flushed and excited, happy to have won, bending down slightly so that the crown could be placed on her head. She almost cried, eyes shining and muttering 'thank you' over and over.

“And now, for this King, I particularly had already waited. Come up here, dear vice president. ” Seonghwa motioned for Yeosang to go on stage, hearing a hellish scream, people patting Yeosang gently on the shoulders, congratulating him on winning that. However, when there was no movement by Yeosang. "Yeosang?" Seonghwa reinforced at the microphone, a vein bouncing on his forehead.

"Im sorry." Yeosang said nothing, just moved his lips, smiling before grabbing Jongho's hand, running through the crowd, trying to dodge everyone he saw ahead, not avoiding bumping into one or the other. Seonghwa took a deep breath, a part of him already waiting for that. He did not stop being angry, however. “Our vice president refused the title. Please come up here, second place, Kim Mingyu. ” He called the boy at once, extending a hand to help him up as well.

*

Yeosang had never been more satisfied in his life. He smiled as if he had just fulfilled a deep wish, his hand still glued to Jongho's, feeling the fresh air of that July night, taking a deep breath.

"What a rebel, Mr. Vice President."Jongho decided to annoy him a little bit, the music inside playing again with full force. "Where do you intend to spend the rest of the night?"

"Um… let's go get some ice cream."

"In a suit?"

"Yes."

"Right then." Jongho smiled, pulling the boy by the hand, the sidewalk crowded with kids leaving and entering the hall, cars of all kinds parked in front of the hall, the moon so big and so full that it was possible to light up the city by itself. “Do you want to stop by my house later? I can cook you something. ”

"With an invitation like that, of course I want to." Yeosang smiled, approaching Jongho to wrap his arms around him, resting his temple on one of Choi's shoulders, the suit making some of his movements impossible. "Ah, I'm remembering something ..."

"What?" They were careful to cross the street, walking slowly along the empty sidewalk.

"I didn't tell my date that I left ... Oh, poor thing ..." Yeosang thought about going back, but something told him that she would be better off without him.

Jongho tried to stifle a laugh, but he couldn't help himself, he laughed heartily, pressing his eyes, fingers ruffling his own strands.

  
“You lost your chivalry by walking with me, vice. I'm glad I entered without anyone, anyway. The funny thing is that Hongjoong tried to make his car his pair” He said, still laughing just remembering the scene. "Seonghwa almost castrated him."

"I'm going to miss this, you know?"

  
“Don't be melancholy, next week a Marilyn film will be released, and Hongjoong has already arranged for all of us to go together. It's not like you're going to be able to get rid of us anytime soon, Yeosang.” Jongho shoved him with his shoulder, looking convinced "And I'm sure you don't want to get rid of us, right?"

  
When they arrived in front of the crowded diner decorated with neon lights, Kang Yeosangwas certain.

He would really like to spend the rest of his life with that boy.

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo that was the first part, I'll be updating as soon as possible, the story is mostly done and should not have more then 3 chapters, so hopefully it will be done soon 
> 
> I also have a twitter account @liciadaff that I'll use for promoting my future projects and stuff so you guys can go there and leave me question or your thoughts on the fic, or whatever lets be friends lol 
> 
> Byee


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